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New York police arrested more than 100 demonstrators at a protest encampment at Columbia University on Thursday. Columbia University and Barnard College suspended several students involved, and Columbia President Minouche Shafik issued a statement about the decision to make the arrests, saying the school had warned protesters earlier in the week that there would be consequences for not following university policies. This comes on the heels of a high-profile Congressional hearing on Wednesday when Shafik testified about antisemitism at the university.

Hillel President and CEO Adam Lehman joined “The FOX News Rundown” podcast to react to the protest and subsequent arrests of students at Columbia University. “We’ve seen this activism, which, frankly, starts as … political activism but often devolves into demonization of Israel in the most intense, unprincipled and propaganda-oriented ways,” he said. He pointed out that the protest at Columbia University, while disturbing, is not unique, citing rising incidents of physical assaults, vandalism, and harassment on college campuses following October 7.

Hillel International celebrated its centennial in New York City earlier this week, marking 100 years of Hillel’s impact on Jewish students and the Jewish community. Its “Here’s to 100” celebration included students, lay leaders, and professionals from around the world who came together to reflect on our first 100 years and chart the course for the next century of Jewish life on campus.  Hillel International raised $184 million to mark the milestone.

Hundreds of demonstrators protested on Thursday at the University of Southern California over the decision not to allow valedictorian Asna Tabassum to speak at its commencement ceremony. While Tabassum has a history of posting and sharing anti-Israel content on her social media channels, the administration cited only “safety concerns” in its decision to cancel her commencement speech.

Following Columbia University President Shafik’s testimony before Congress this week, Hillel President and CEO Adam Lehman joined American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch for a virtual event entitled “A Call to University Leadership: Tackling Antisemitism on Campus.” Lehman and Deutch spoke about the organizations’ partnership to combat antisemitism, and the actions needed from university leadership to tackle the issue. While Lehman noted Shafik and other members of university leadership tried in good faith during the hearing to shed light on how Columbia University has been working to address antisemitism, he also pointed out where the university is falling short in its response, particularly in dealing with antisemitism that starts in the classrooms.  “I just felt like the administration did not show or reflect the kind of backbone that’s required to make sure that faculty are held to the same standards we want students to be held to,” he said. “That was certainly disappointing.”