Shai Davidai, a pro-Israel advocate and assistant professor of business at Columbia University in the United States, has been barred from campus.

The university on Tuesday confirmed his suspension, citing allegations of harassment and intimidation toward university employees, Fox News reports.
In a statement, Columbia University said Davidai’s suspension was a “direct result of Assistant Professor Davidai’s conduct on October 7, 2024,” without elaborating on the specific incident.

Davidai claimed the university’s decision was retaliation for his actions during the October 7 protests on campus.

“[T]he University has decided to not allow me to be on campus anymore. My job. Why? Because of Oct. 7. Because I was not afraid to stand up to the hateful mob,” Davidai said, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator.

He had recorded himself confronting university administrators during the protests.
University spokesperson Samantha Slater defended the institution’s stance, stating, “Columbia has consistently and continually respected Assistant Professor Davidai’s right to free speech and to express his views. His freedom of speech has not been limited and is not being limited now.”

However, Slater emphasized that Davidai’s behavior violated university policy, saying, “Because Assistant Professor Davidai repeatedly harassed and intimidated University employees in violation of University policy, we have temporarily limited his access to campus while he undertakes appropriate training.”

Slater further clarified that Davidai is not teaching this semester, but he has not been suspended from his position and will still receive his salary.

He will be allowed back on campus after completing the necessary training on university policies.

“Education, training, access restrictions and other measures are available and used by the University when faculty and other employees violate University policy,” Slater added.
“As in other cases, our expectation is that Assistant Professor Davidai will successfully complete the training and promptly return to campus.”

Davidai expressed frustration over the situation, telling The Spectator, “I’m the only professor who’s been suspended. Think about all the professors, everything that they’ve done. You know, people that have said and posted horrible things, and yet I’m the only one suspended.”

He further stated, “It’s no longer a double standard. There’s basically no standard for when it comes to Jewish life on campus.”

Following the decision, Davidai took to X, writing, “I don’t care about my future. It’s never been about me. I care about @Columbia’s future. I care about what this acceptance of anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American terrorism means for the students on campus.”
This isn’t the first time Davidai faced restrictions on campus. In April, his keycard was deactivated after he planned a pro-Israel demonstration.

“I have, not just a civil right, a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus.

“I have a right as a professor employed by the university to be on campus,” Davidai said in a video during the April incident.