NYC Rally Tomorrow (12/8): “Jewish Students Deserve to Feel Safe”
A coalition of activists, lawyers, parents and other concerned individuals will take to the streets this Sunday to demand action against the surge of antisemitic incidents on college campuses. Starting at 11 a.m. at New York University (NYU), the group will march through Manhattan, stopping at several campuses to spotlight the issue.
The group — Mothers Against College Antisemitism (MACA), a grassroots movement founded by Elizabeth Rand. Since its inception in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, MACA has grown rapidly, amassing over 61,000 members on Facebook.
“I took inspiration from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. They were ordinary mothers sick of losing their children to drunk drivers. They managed to change the drinking age from 18 to 21 across the country and withstand a Supreme Court challenge in 1987,” Rand said in an interview.
Image caption: Elizabeth Rand/Founder of MACA
“But there is a difference between a peaceful protest for Palestine and Jewish people being screamed at that they should go back to Berlin or being pushed and shoved. All these vile things are happening on campuses,” she added.
Sunday’s rally will begin at Washington Square Arch, followed by stops at NYU, The Cooper Union, The New School, Baruch College, and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). These campuses “...have been allowing ongoing unchecked antisemitic behaviour,” says Michelle Corbet, the media director for MACA.
“I am marching and fighting for the schools to be held accountable for their Title VI violations. For some reason, Jewish lives do not matter in the woke world of academia. What happened to equity? What happened to tolerance?” said Felice Schachter, a New York-based educator, in an interview with Liberty Affair.
Felice joined MACA soon after Elizabeth Rand formed the group. She has been helping to organize Sunday’s rally and said, “I am marching because my ancestors didn’t.”
While Columbia has been a hotbed of pro-Palestine protests, MACA will not visit the Ivy League university on their tour. Some MACA members worry that Columbia’s Jewish leaders fear the marchers could incite pro-Palestine students. Their concerns, they believe, are not unfounded.
Felice explained that Columbia administrators, along with some Jewish groups on campus, pushed back against the idea of MACA coming to Columbia. As a result, the group decided to skip the school. Her perspective is that “for some reason, the abused are protecting their abusers. It seems as though they are scared and trying to keep their heads down and play nice.”
Columbia students were so combative last semester that the NYPD arrested 109 individuals during an encampment protest. Dozens of police cars engulfed the campus. Protestors rattled the gates of the hallowed school. A bullet rang out, but everyone was uninjured. Still, it shows the tenacity and stubbornness of Columbia’s regressive pro-Palestine students.
Columbia Professor Shai Davidai will be in attendance, as well as Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator and former IDF paratrooper. With 61,000 members, MACA hopes to send a clear message to university administrators: “We have our eye on you.”
“We are determined to ensure our voices are heard by exchanging information, engaging in discussions, and initiating actions to safeguard our children and combat the hatred. We are resolute in NOT remaining silent,” MACA stated.
Toni Airaksinen (@Toni_Airaksinen on X) is a journalist living in Delray Beach, Florida. If you want to stay on top of news regarding college antisemitism, please follow her on Substack, Twitter or Instagram.
