Barnard in uproar after school offends both pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian factions with social media post
Barnard College is embroiled in a controversy after a social media post depicted a liberated Palestine, then deleting it in an attempt to quell backlash — and outraging both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine advocates in the process.
On Monday, the women’s college, which is a part of Columbia University, posted a photo on Instagram highlighting a student’s recent experience interning at “Arablit Quarterly” magazine. The picture showed her holding the latest issue, with a cover illustration of what appears to be the map shape of Israel covered in either pink flower petals or wing feathers, with Gaza highlighted in yellow.
After outcry from the pro-Israel community — some of whom said they saw it as “a map showing the entire state of Israel taken over from a starting point in Gaza” — the school ended up deleting the post. But, to some in the Columbia community, it was a slap in the face after a semester of antisemitic chaos on campus.
“Whether deliberately or unintentionally, Barnard College’s social media team posted content that was deeply offensive to the Jewish community,” Ari Shrage, a member of the class of 2001 and cofounder of the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, told The Post.
“Social media mistakes happen. However, it is deeply concerning to note that this incident follows a larger pattern at Columbia of gaslighting the Jewish community by denying that antisemitism is occurring,” Shrage added.
Shrage’s organization was among many who called out the school on X, posting of the student in the photo: “That smile has GOT to be her thinking that she cannot BELIEVE she duped the dummies at Barnard College to publish a map showing the entire state of Israel taken over from a starting point in Gaza.”
Amidst growing pressure, the school pulled down the post later the same day, citing concerns over the featured student’s safety and “offensive” content.
“Yesterday, we removed a post highlighting a student’s summer internship that included an image that was offensive to some in our community,” the school posted on its official X account on Monday. “Out of respect for those views and for the safety of the student, the post has been removed from all Barnard social media.”
Barnard College declined to comment further when reached by The Post.
On the other side, the censorship of the post also had pro-Palestine activists incensed.
“I hate how Barnard pretends to care about uplifting women’s voices,” one student complained on X. “I hate how the slogan is ‘Bold Beautiful Barnard’ as if they haven’t been silencing the most bold voices for Palestinian liberation since October. I’m so incredibly fed up with the hypocrisy.”
Students for Justice in Palestine tweeted on Monday that “Barnard College caved to the outright racism of Zionists instead of defending their own student against absolutely disgusting attacks against her identity.” The group could not be reached for comment.
The inflammatory post is just one of a string of recent controversies at Barnard.
In February, the women’s college was hit with a lawsuit alleging “particularly severe and pervasive” anti-semitism on campus and “abject failure and refusal to lift a finger to stop [it].”
Barnard students were among the pro-Palestine demonstrators who illegally encamped in the Columbia University quad during the last weeks of the spring 2024 semester and subsequently violently occupied Hamilton Hall on April 30.
Also during last semester, tensions in Barnard dorms over the Israel-Palestine conflict became so intense that the college banned dorm room decorations with political messaging.
The post came as the university is preparing for a new semester of classes, starting September 1.
The school is undertaking efforts to quell conflict, after the pro-Palestine protesters who demonstrated last year pledged to return.
According to a July statement, the university is promoting “community-building” seminars, adding a new component to student orientation and facilitating mediation between activist groups.
But, for Shrage and his alumni organization, the controversial Barnard post is a betrayal of that commitment to fostering community: “We continue to call on Columbia’s leadership to treat bigotry against Jews with an equal level of seriousness as they would apply to bigotry against any other group.”
