American Jewish activist and Harvard alumnus Shabbos Kestenbaum spoke with Arutz Sheva – Israel National News at the IAC National Summit in Washington DC, about antisemitism on college campuses and why he believes Jewish students should not be studying at Ivy League universities. Regarding Kestenbaum’s lawsuit against Harvard, he says that “as of two months ago a judge ruled ‘that the facts as pled prove that Harvard failed its Jewish students.’ We are the first case in American history pertaining to the civil rights violations of Jewish students that will go to trial. This was not settled, this was not dismissed. We were going to go all the way to the court and we're incredibly proud of our lawsuit, as a result.” Kestenbaum says that, despite their current success in Harvard, “it's happening in all too many universities, not just in the US, but in Canada and really across the world. I've been meeting with Jewish students from across the country and the one thing I tell them is, 'Demand your rights. If your university will not guarantee your safety and your security, then you hold them accountable, whether it's in a court of law or a court of public opinion.' Thank God, there are dozens of active and pending litigations against major universities in the US.” Kestenbaum responds to the sentiment that he is seen as a leader in activism against antisemitism, saying, “I hope I'm not a leader. I think the American people and the Jewish community could do a whole lot better than me. It's incredibly difficult because I believe that due to my activism, I have a responsibility to tell my fellow Jewish Americans how I'm going to vote this November. I've been very clear about who I'm supporting and once you make that decision even with the nuances and disagreements, you are just cut off from 50% of the community and I'm trying my best to call out antisemitism on the far-left and on the far-right to condemn Kamala Harris, just as much as I'm condemning Donald Trump, but unfortunately the politics has made advocacy incredibly difficult, which is really unfortunate.” Kestenbaum felt that it is important for him to say that he is supporting Trump, because “after 10 months of appearing either nonpartisan or bipartisan, and I really felt that the policies the Trump campaign were elevating and promoting would directly alleviate the concerns that I and many Jewish students are raising, as we experienced antisemitism on college campuses. If Kamala Harris wanted to invite us to the White House residence, if she wanted to articulate the exact measures she would take to combat antisemitism, I would love to support her. But the reality is she's not met with a single Jewish student since October 7th. Trump has had four events in the last two months with Jewish students.” Kestenbaum admits that “the Democrat Party is becoming more and more antisemitic. I'm a registered Democrat. I actually registered to vote as a Democrat the day I turned 18. I've only voted for Democrats. I'll continue to vote for my Democratic Congressman, Richie Torres, but it is undeniable that there is a growing antisemitic and anti-Israel movement within the Democratic party. Just five-six years ago there were about a dozen Democratic lawmakers who boycotted Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech. A month ago he was close to 100. The numbers don't lie; the data doesn't lie, but Democrats saying that antisemitism is not a problem, is a lie.” Kestenbaum believes that “Jewish students should rethink studying in academic institutions, not just because it's dangerous. Some universities aren't as bad, but simply because Harvard, Columbia, and MIT need Jews way more than Jews need them. We are smart, we are innovative, we are resourceful, we are creative. We don't need to be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on universities that repeatedly stab Jews in the back. We should go to universities and institutions where we are welcomed, and where our talents are utilized, like Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Michigan. It's not at the Ivy Leagues; it just isn't.” Kestenbaum concludes with two ideas: I think students already at the University should not acquiesce to the mob. They should continue to fight. They should continue to wear their Star of David and kippas. However, long term, I don't think the future of young US Jewry should be on those particular college campuses. I think they can and should go to places where their talents will be explored, utilized, and appreciated.”
