Purim Joy Empowers Barnard Jews in Face of Campus Antisemitism

For Jewish students at Barnard College and Columbia University, the significance of Purim—which this year begins on Thursday evening, March 13, and continues through Friday, March 14—has taken on new dimensions this year. As distinctly antisemitic campus disruptions once again escalate, many students are finding deeper connections to the holiday’s theme of Jewish survival and the Jewish triumph over hatred.

It is no secret by now that Columbia University has experienced a wave of antisemitism since the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with Jewish students facing an increasingly hostile environment across the Ivy League school’s campus. Last year, before Passover, the situation reached a breaking point when anti-Israel demonstrators gathered outside campus gates chanting antisemitic slurs. To make things worse, the university leadership’s response has been lackluster, to put it mildly.

Despite this, Chabad-Lubavitch at Columbia and Barnard responded by enhancing their security and hosting even larger Passover Seders, refusing to yield to hatred.

Two students do a mitzvah together.

This response to adversity has become a pattern for Columbia’s Jewish community. When students returned to campus last fall, Rabbi Yuda Drizin and his wife, Naomi, who co-direct Chabad at Columbia and Barnard, didn’t cave to the hate, instead organizing a large-scale Jewish Culture Festival. The event drew more than 2,000 attendees, including students, faculty and administrators.

Now, as Purim approaches amid another round of anti-Jewish hate, students are drawing strength from that same resilience and determination to celebrate their Jewishness openly.

“I understand what it is to be a Jew now more than ever,” said Yael Sefchovich, a Barnard senior majoring in psychology and philosophy. “I’ve always been super-proud to be a Jew, and now I’m even more so. I feel really connected to all the stories in the Torah, and throughout history; understanding the Jewish plight.”

‘This Isn’t Normal’

Barnard College has seen heightened tensions in recent days, with its Milstein Center evacuated on Wednesday due to a bomb threat during a pro-Palestinian “sit-in.” The incident, which resulted in at least nine arrests, comes amid a series of virulent demonstrations that have left many Jewish students shaken. Videos shared widely on social media showed protesters—many of them masked—taking over college-owned buildings, where they chanted and hung flags. The take-over was ostensibly a response to recent disciplinary actions taken by school administrators against antisemitic student protesters.

“This isn’t normal,” said Rabbi Drizin. “The content being handed out was stickers glorifying [Hamas leader] Yahya Al-Sinwar, literal Hamas propaganda—these are modern-day Hamans.”

"One Year Since the Heroic Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," a Hamas propaganda pamphlet freely distributed on campus.

The parallel between leaders of the Hamas terror group and the villain of the Purim story isn’t lost on students like Sefchovich, who has witnessed the drastic degradation of the climate on campus over her time as a student at Barnard. “After Oct. 7, my academic life changed. It has defined everything for me,” she states.

But rather than retreating in the face of hostility, Chabad is planning an even larger Purim celebration than originally anticipated. Despite many students leaving campus Friday for spring break, Thursday evening’s Megillah reading and celebration is expected to draw substantial numbers.

A photo of Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah terror organization, and "Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" pamphlet freely distributed on campus.

“At times like these, people don’t want to feel bad for themselves; they need to celebrate who they are, not shy away from it,” Drizin said, noting that many faculty members have also indicated they’ll be joining the festivities. “We thought it would be a smaller Purim with everyone leaving [for spring break], but now anyone who was thinking of leaving is staying. It’s going to be huge.”

‘Be More Proud’

For students like Sefchovich, the celebration is a statement.

“The easiest way I’ve found to respond to those who seek [the Jewish people] harm is to be more proud,” she said. “I bought a Star of David necklace, and I am proud to introduce my very Jewish name to people.”

Chabad has become a central support system for Jewish students navigating the campus environment. “There’s something going on at Chabad on Shabbat each week. Anytime there’s a disruption, the rabbi and his wife are always supportive with an open door for conversations—it’s a safe haven,” Sefchovich said.

An image of Yayha Sinwar, the terrorist leader of Hamas, with the caption, "Sometime history needs a push/flood," freely distributed on campus.

In her final semester before graduation, Sefchovich reflected on choosing Columbia despite knowing its reputation as a hotbed of antisemitism. “I wasn’t not going to go. If anything, I said to myself, ‘If there’s going to be antisemitism at this school, I should be there to fight it.’ It turned out there was.”

And how are she and her fellow students fighting it? By increasing in Torah and mitzvot, being more proud to be openly Jewish and to engage with their Jewish heritage in ways many never have before.

“Oct. 7 has brought us all together,” said Sefchovich. “Part of the reason people are so jealous of us is that we stay joyful and connected. That bothers people—that we remain unapologetic about who we are.”

‘Even Greater Joy and Pride’

As Purim approaches, Drizin sees profound meaning in celebrating this particular holiday during such challenging times.

“Just like the Jews in the times of Purim, where the story ends with song and dance, so, too, we refuse to let modern-day hatred diminish our celebration,” he said.

Naomi Drizin (left), co-director of Chabad at Columbia and Barnard, with students at the Chabad center.

The Purim story, which recounts the foiling of Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews of ancient Persia, has stark parallels to the waves of antisemitism infiltrating college campuses across the United States. At Columbia and Barnard, just like its counterparts at Harvard, Kansas State, Texas A&M and more, Chabad is more than just a Jewish group on campus; it’s the heart of Jewish life on campus.

And as students prepares for the Megillah readings, Purim costumes, holiday music, traditional hamantaschen and festive meals, there’s a palpable sense of unity, resolve, and ultimately, joy in the understanding that these antisemitic acts are just the latest in a long history of attempts to silence Jewish voices. These attempts have consistently failed throughout the centuries, just as Haman’s plans were thwarted in ancient Persia.

“The Purim story reminds us that when we put our faith and trust in G‑d, everything turns out for the best,” Drizin said. “Meanwhile, we’ll be busy doing what Jews have always done best—celebrating life, doubling down on our traditions, showing that Jewish joy is the most powerful response to those who seek to intimidate us.”