Overview

• Shai Davidai announced his departure on July 8, 2025, according to an internal email from Columbia Business School Dean Costis Maglaras.
• Columbia’s Office of Institutional Equity cleared him of harassment and intimidation allegations from February 2024 that had led to a temporary suspension.
• He gained viral attention after the October 2023 Hamas attack for pro-Israel confrontations with pro-Palestine protesters on campus.
• Davidai joined Columbia Business School in 2019 without tenure, a status he said influenced his decision to leave.
• Columbia has faced ongoing tensions over free speech and the Israel-Palestine conflict, including scrutiny over alleged calls to deport pro-Palestine students.