As AFN has reported, open antisemitism has been on the rise at Columbia University since Hamas massacred Jews on October 7. But in the last couple of weeks, it has reached a fever pitch to include harassment and even attacks on Jewish students.
In response, Columbia has announced it will begin offering online classes to the student body until the end of the school year -- one of the only concessions the faculty has made for Jewish students.
Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas says students who think they are fighting against genocide do not understand that genocide is the only goal of the terrorists they are supporting.
"Certainly, a lot of these protests are just based on blatant ignorance," he submits. "They don't know the history of Israel. They don't know that this nation is more than 75 years old. It's 4,000 years old and was founded by God."
He says the sudden radicalization of students has been difficult to watch, especially considering that many of the protesters would not have been able to find Gaza on a map on October 6th.
"They turn quickly, and they're so gullible because they don't know the truth," Dr. Jeffress laments. "I would say if they're really that concerned about the Palestinians, they need to go over there and volunteer and give money and be on the frontlines of battle."
He adds that anyone against Israel is on the wrong side of an even bigger spiritual war.
"At the very root of this antisemitism is a spiritual battle that's going on between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan," the pastor concludes.
Meanwhile, Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania is glad that Democratic Senator John Fetterman is going against his party on this issue.
When it comes to social issues like abortion and the LGBTQ+ agenda, he is squarely in the Democratic fold. But he has staunchly defended Israel ever since the October 7th terrorist attacks.
Fetterman recently declared on X, "I'm not a progressive, I'm just a regular Democrat."
"He's totally supportive of Israel's right to defend themselves and opposes Biden's walking away from Benjamin Netanyahu and the state of Israel," Gramley observes. "Plus, he totally opposes Biden's open-door policy when it comes to the southern border. And I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that his wife is a legal immigrant."
She credits Fetterman's newfound rationality to his medication and the healing process following his stroke.
"He's definitely more lucid than he was when he first took office; there's no question about that," Gramley asserts. "He has the backbone to resist pressure from his party when it comes to Israel and the open border, so that's a good thing. We're glad for that."
Anti-Israel protesters in the states have called for a ceasefire and for their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Dozens of students have been doxed, suspended by their universities, and arrested by police.
In a video statement released Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out against the demonstrations on U.S. college campuses. He called the response of several university presidents "shameful" and said state, local, and federal officials need to intervene.
