College students detail Jewish community being ‘intimidated for speaking out’ on campuses

Two college students shared their first-hand experiences as outspoken supporters on campus of Israel and the Jewish community on “Varney & Co.” Monday, claiming they’ve been made to feel “intimidated” and uncomfortable.

“Last week I attended a pro-Palestine rally. I was legitimately curious to hear what they had to say, and I showed up to listen to the person speaking, and within 30 seconds, somebody comes up to me recognizing me from the FOX [News] hit last week and asks me to leave,” Georgetown University student Michael Korvyakov told host Stuart Varney. “Wouldn’t tell me his name and wouldn’t show me his face.”

“It’s no doubt that Jewish students feel unsafe on campus when this is the kind of thing that’s allowed: Jewish students being intimidated for speaking out in favor of Israel,” he continued.

“Even in previous semesters, you could feel a lot of anti-Zionist sentiment,” New York University student Ruthie Yudelson added. “I definitely don’t want to go through my daily life feeling at risk of being assaulted in any way.”

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Across America, shows of support for the Palestinian people have erupted at campuses such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harvard University, UMass Amherst, Columbia University, Portland State University, Baruch as well as NYU and Georgetown.

Despite some universities having publicly condemned any acts of terrorism in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the sentiment felt among the student community is reportedly more hostile.

“I feel relatively safe going to classes. However, I’ve spoken to students at NYU and Harvard and Columbia, and I really can’t say the same for them,” Korvyakov said. “It really has been a lot worse around those campuses.”

“I think about Israel, the more you engage, the more you get back,” Yudelson noted. “I think most of my community’s response thus far has been for our community itself, focusing on ways that we can actively help Israel right now.”

Yudelson and a group of friends allegedly raised $28,000 in just 24 hours for Israeli aid, expanding on how the war has personally impacted the Jewish population.

“People’s brothers and sisters are fighting and risking their lives, and you want to be part of something. And we wanted to take that energy – people so riled up, and also at the same time so defeated – and put it behind actionable commitment towards humanitarian good in Israel,” the NYU student said.

While attending a discussion panel with Georgetown professors on the Israel and Palestine tensions, Korvyakov claimed three had pro-Palestine stances while one professor offered Israeli support.

“Every time you heard some kind of pro-Palestinian sentiment, you heard a rouse of cheers and you didn’t see the same thing for the pro-Israeli sentiment. So I can see how a student who didn’t know a lot about the conflict going into that could walk out of that room and have an anti-Israel perspective,” Korvyakov said. “That’s what I think is so sad, that there’s such an imbalance of perspectives.”

“Education is the best thing that can fix these kinds of incorrect sentiments,” the Georgetown student offered as a solution. “All students need to do is they need to learn about the history of Israel. They have to learn about the current state of the world. And it’s obvious to see the necessity for the existence of a Jewish state when you understand the historical context of its existence… that’s what I think we’re really lacking.”

As Israel enters its third week of war against Hamas, FOX News reports that at least 5,700 people have been killed in the war on both sides, including at least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers and 32 Americans. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims at least 4,385 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank.

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FOX News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.