Jewish students at Columbia University who feel the university is not doing enough to speak out against and protect them from antisemitism gathered together on the campus Monday to voice their concerns.

Speaking to reporters on Amsterdam Avenue, the students said antisemitism at the school has spiked since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israelis back on Oct. 7, which has left them feeling unsafe.

“Other students have been spat on for speaking Hebrew,” Noah Fay, a senior at the university, said. “We’ve seen swastikas drawn on school property.”

Fay said she identifies as a Black Jewish Native American.

She and other Jewish students said they believe the war has emboldened some people to attack Jews on campus.

“I’ve seen them parrot foul antisemitic tropes,” Yoni Kurtz, a junior at the university, said.

“When I hear about my fellow Jewish students being verbally assaulted on side chats and being physically assaulted outside of Butler Library, I don’t feel safe,” Jessica Brenner, a Barnard College student, said.

The Manhattan District Attorney has charged a suspect in connection with the recent physical assault of an Israeli student on campus.

The school’s newspaper reports a swastika was found on a bathroom wall.

Students at Columbia Law school also said they’ve been the targets of antisemitic slurs and tropes.  

In a statement, responding to recent acts of antisemitism, a spokesperson for the university said, “when this type of speech is unlawful or violates university rules, it will not be tolerated. We are using every available tool to keep our community safe and that includes protecting our Jewish students from antisemitic discrimination or harassment.”

Other students said antisemitism isn’t the only form of bigotry on campus.

“I definitely wouldn’t deny the possibility of antisemitic things happening,” said one student who wished not to be identified. “It’s just in my experience I’ve been seeing more one sided Islamophobia.”

Another student who didn’t feel safe sharing her name, said her Muslim friends were recently targets of Islamophobia, but she believes the university is responding appropriately to identity-based hate.

“I think the university has managed to show a neutral stance toward both sides of students,” she said. “They’ve managed to control things when they’ve gotten out of hand where students are comfortable enough to share their opinions.”

“These are students who are experiencing what they are experiencing,” Fay said. They are seeing what we are seeing.”

Columbia University’s president addressed recent acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia and emphasized that such acts are being perpetrated by a small minority while urging the university to reject bigotry.

The university’s campus resource page has a list of resources available to students, including counseling services, religious support, as well as peer support groups.