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Shai Davidai Resigns From Columbia After Investigation Finds No Wrongdoing

His resignation underscores campus discord over academic free speech in response to protests targeting Jewish students.

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Israeli professor Shai Davidai outside of Columbia University, April 22, 2024. (Luke Tress)
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Overview

  • Effective July 8, 2025, Davidai tendered his resignation after a year-long Office of Institutional Equity probe closed without any findings or penalties.
  • He emerged as one of the earliest critics of Columbia’s response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations after the October 2023 Hamas attack, warning that the university had allowed antisemitic hostility to spread on campus.
  • Columbia suspended him in April 2024 for alleged harassment of university employees, but its Office of Institutional Equity closed the probe this month with no conclusions of wrongdoing.
  • Davidai said he decided to leave because he believed the university failed to take anti-Jewish and anti-Israel protests seriously.
  • His departure arrives as Columbia faces federal funding threats and congressional pressure over its handling of campus safety and free speech.