@lizzygeorgegriffin / Instagram
Columbia University’s campus is being rocked by another incident of anti-Semitism after a student sent out an email saying that “THE HOLOCAUST WASN’T SPECIAL” with the words “F*CK ISRAEL” at the bottom.
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The email was sent on Saturday, October 21 by Lionlez founder Lizzy George-Griffin in promotion of a film event. The flyer for the event, a showing of a 2018 film called The Shakedown under the banner of “Black Lesbian Films,” was presented with the addendum “It’s FREE PALESTINE over here. Zionists aren’t welcome.”
The event was originally scheduled for Friday, October 27. Samantha Slater, Columbia University Director of Media Relations, told us via email that “The event organized by Lionlez is not proceeding on Friday and is being reviewed.” When prompted for more details, Slater wrote that “the event is no longer proceeding because of action Columbia took.” We received this email from Slater at 11:48 a.m. on Wednesday.
“As we have reiterated many times over the past few weeks, antisemitism or any other form of hate will never be tolerated in our community,” Slater wrote in a statement.
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On Wednesday afternoon, after we were told the event would not be taking place, a flyer for the same event – rescheduled for November 10, this time without the words “Zionists aren’t invited” – was shared on the LionLez Instagram page.
View this post on Instagram
“Due to many threats from a genocidal group of people, LionLez is adding security to our next event. To give us time to [do] this, we have postponed our event 2 weeks. FREE PALESTINE,” the group wrote in its caption.
We’ve reached back out to Slater for an explanation. On Thursday morning, Slater said “the event has not been rescheduled,” and on Thursday evening, she clarified that “University leadership has demanded that LionLez leadership remove their post about the event being rescheduled.”
George-Griffin’s email is full of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas statements including:
- “Hamas only exists because of Zionist’s cruelty.”
- “Israelites are the Nazis.” (We assume she meant “Israelis.”)
- “The only people who support ‘Israel’ are very stupid or very racist.”
It’s also full of misinformation, beginning with a modified version of the famous “At first they came” quote by Pastor Martin Niemöller, which is on display at many Holocaust museums and memorials including the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. and Yad Vashem in Israel.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”16″] First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
[/perfectpullquote]
In George-Griffin’s version, the groups in the first three lines are replaced with racial groups, and the “me” in the final line is replaced with Jews. George-Griffin tells the recipients of her email to “read between the lines” of the poem, which she does not clarify has been modified. She argues that it makes the case that “White Jewish People are today and always have been the oppressors of all brown people.”
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The email goes on to say that “Only white Jews are allowed to live in Israel,” specifically adding that if someone has both a Black parent and Jewish grandparents, they would not be allowed to live in Israel. Neither of these statements are remotely true.
Sorry about the poor image quality.
There are no religious or racial requirements to live in Israel. Furthermore, it is estimated that nearly 45% of Israel’s Jewish population is Mizrahi, meaning they have grandparents who were born in North Africa or Asia, as compared to ~30% Ashkenazi, meaning they have a grandparent born in Europe, the Americas, Oceania or South Africa. Israel also has non-Jewish citizens of nearly all races, ethnicities and religions, including Christians, Muslims, Bedouins, and Druze.
George-Griffin has drawn controversy for, among other things, her views on mixed race adoption and a heated discussion she had with Dominican President Luis Abinader when he came to speak on campus. The discussion, during which George-Griffin repeatedly interrupted President Abinader as he responded to her questions on racism, colorism, and homophobia in the Dominican Republic, ended when she walked away from the microphone midway through his answer.
Tensions have been on the rise at Columbia since the latest conflict in Israel and Gaza began. Earlier this month, an Israeli student was assaulted at Columbia University after he confronted his attacker ripping posters of Israelis being held hostage down outside the main campus library, and a petition has been circulating for the removal of Professor Joseph Massad after he wrote an article calling the initial Hamas terrorist attack “astounding,” “awesome,” and “incredible.” On Wednesday, the school announced it would be postponing its annual Giving Day Fundraiser amidst the conflict.
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We have reached out to Lizzy George-Griffin via Instagram (@lizzygeorgegriffin) for a comment but have not gotten a response. However, when @IsraelWarRoom reposted the original flyer with the words, “founder of LionLez says 95% of Jews are not welcome in Columbia’s Lesbian Club,” George-Griffin reposted the image with the number 95% crossed out.
She, on the contrary, seems veeery “special.” This will actually have a wonderful outcome. She’d be lucky to get a job at a McD fry station now, to best leverage her “education.”
I was thinking the same thing. There’s a future retail assistant manager.
Peter,
Sadly, a subset of Christers (many of whom are corporate chiefs will hire her) for the Holocaust trivialization.
This is so sad.
She/this is disgusting.
There are some real dingbat students at CU, but that’s hardly new. Look at Megan McCain or Chelsea Clinton who got a Masters in Public Health there.
Actually, she sounds like she has mental health issues. She’s so far off the mark and full of so much hate. Wonder what happened to her.
Lizzy George Griffin would not be “welcomed” in Palestine – gender, race, sexuality & the ability to be educated – would not be allowed. Misinformed & sad.
That’s the irony here.
I honestly think the solution is to send these people to Gaza so they can truly be with the people they are defending. They would realize how misinformed and stupid they are.
This will come up in every future google search of Lizzy George-Griffin. Good luck Lizzy.
How was this caliber of intellect accepted to Columbia University in a first instance?
Of her type, she is no better and no more intelligent that Marjorie Taylor-Greene.
She is right about one thing. The holocaust is by no means “special”. Jews have been persecuted, tortured and murdered for being Jews for several millennium, Oct 7 being the latest iteration of a sickeningly familiar story.
No one is surprised Ivy schools are Hamas training centers.
Answering delusions about the Holocaust by making up some pro-Hamas bias at “Ivies” only undermines legitimate objections to posts like hers.
SHAME ON HER. So filled with hatred, and so stupid. Is there anything else we can do to kick her out of Columbia? I am a Columbia U alumni and would feel horrible if I’d see anything like that flier.
Betty;
“Is there anything else we can do to kick her out of Columbia? ”
Thankfully, no.
Sadly that you post such a comment as a Columbia almu suggests you are at least as intolerant as this woman. Irony.
Well at least she needs some serious ‘re-education’. Notice that Samantha Slater, Columbia University Director of Media Relations, has already spoken to her once, but obviously George-Griffin didn’t get it! She doesn’t care.. really she doesn’t belong to Columbia with her racism and stupidity. She should be spoken again and warned so she understands the gravity of her accusations and incitements. Jewish students on campus have the right to feel safe and the university has the duty to protect them. How would you feel if George-Griffin was a KKK like white student that insulted, belittled black students and forbad them to attend some event openly and proudly? How many times should that be tolerated before serious action is taken?
Betty,
This idiot isn’t threatening Jewish Columbia students.
Or do you suppose all Jews are Zionists. They aren’t. And she isn’t even threatening Zionists.
You are nearly as ignorant has her.
Your excuse making is sad, and speaks to unthinking that your Columbia education did NOT fix.
There are all manner of valid grounds for expelling a student from a university.
A male student who made, and then persisted in making sexually demeaning remarks to a female on campus could validly be expelled for that reason.
In this case, if the university warns the anti-Jewish bigot about her public proclamations of anti-Jewish bigotry, and the bigot doesn’t stop making those public proclamations of anti-Jewish bigotry, the school could validly expel her because she is endangering the school’ ability to foster an environment that is not hostile to people on the basis of their faith or national origin.
It’s actually a requirement of state and federal laws that schools foster non-hostile environments.
A student who was constantly voicing anti-lesbian bigotry and promoting on campus events specifically excluding all lesbians could validly be expelled from the school.
This anti-Jewish bigot is free to promulgate anti-Jewish hate in her private spaces but not in public ones on campus. If the school warns her but she persists, they would be justified in expelling her to protect themselves against law suits for fostering a hostile campus environment. These laws protect her from people bigoted against Blacks, women, and lesbian; she has to respect the compact and not publicly voice her bigotry against Jews.
Scott,
This idiot is anti-Zionist. She is not on record as making anti-Jewish statements.
Not all Jews are Zionists, if fact some are adamantly against Zionism.
Your post is stunningly ignorant, possibly on purpose.
State and federal laws make it illegal for a school that receives any government monies from fostering a campus environment hostile to people on the basis of their national origin.
Israeli is a national origin.
People should note additionally that George-Griffin is wrong about Israel and Black people.
Israel for example rescued tens of thousands of Black Ethiopian Jews from anti-Jewish persecution in Ethiopia.
A recent Miss Israel was a Black Jewish woman with parents from Ethiopia.
Again, though, state and federal law make it illegal for a school to permit or foster a campus environment hostile to individuals on the basis of their national origin, and Israeli is a national origin.
Scott Rose:
And she didn’t attack students by national origin.
“F the USA” is a legal statement, and can’t be used to expel students.
You keep changing terms suit the end you want.
PS, since you don’t know: Not all avid Zionists are even Jewish.
I am addressing other eventual readers of these comments, not a ludicrous troll who says that an anti-Jewish bigot who mocks Holocaust victims is not an anti-Jewish bigot.
According to this risible troll, mocking Holocaust victims is anti-Zionist, not anti-Jewish.
But as happens, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem had a face-to-face meeting with Hitler where they agreed to spread the Holocaust to all Arab-majority countries from Morocco over to Iraq. The only reason that didn’t happen is that the Allies defeated the Nazis.
In the meanwhile, though, the Grand Mufti organized Muslim SS troops in Bosnia and wiped out the Jewish population of that country.
Both Arafat and Abbas have called the Mufti “a Palestinian National hero.”
Also in the meantime, when the lion’s share of the Mandate was made the country of Jordan in 1921, Jordan expelled all of its Jews, though they had been living there since ancient times, and stole all of their assets and never returned them.
The only place those Jews had to go after being expelled from Jordan was Jerusalem and environs.
But then when Jordan (for a second time) in 1967 attempted to eliminate Israel, it occupied the eastern sector of Jerusalem and systematically destroyed over 70 Jewish temples — many of them of ancient origin — and drove Jews out of that part of the city.
So, many of the same Jordanians who expelled all Jews from their country in 1921 later in 1947 expelled and/or killed many of those same Jewish refugees in 1947.
In conclusion, for clarification, a person like George-Griffin who says “The Holocaust is nothing special” in the context of a campaign of hate and exclusion of Jews and Zionists is directing her hate against Jews when she says “The Holocaust is nothing special.”
Nobody with their head screwed on right would argue the point. Only a depraved troll would argue that point.
Scott:
“But as happens, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem had a face-to-face meeting with Hitler where they agreed to spread the Holocaust to all Arab-majority countries from Morocco over to Iraq.”
So now you’re saying that this idiot Columbia student is advocating a Holocaust of the Jews.
Above you specifically say this Columbia student is anti-Jewish, but you’ve provided no evidence of that, nor does her Holocaust trivialization, wherein she did NOT mock the victims.
You have much to learn about Zionism, and objections to it. But your ilk isn’t interesting in learning.
And your reference to the known anti-Semitic Grand Mufti suggests that you’re one who claims that the Palestinians are responsible for the Holocaust, something Bibi delusionally claimed.
You are an idiotic troll.
Jay:
Your post is “stunningly stupid”. You keep talking about the difference between Jews and Zionists which we all know, while completely missing the point! Looks like you misread her post saying that 95% of Jews are not welcome in Columbia’s Lesbian Club. The fact that she singles out Jews multiple times even because “idiotically” she thinks that 95% of Jews are zionist doesn’t make it less antisemitic. Scott said it right: “You are truly a ludicrous and risible troll who says that an anti-Jewish bigot who mocks Holocaust victims is not an anti-Jewish bigot”. You should go to bed now in shame
While it is true that atrocities and war crimes have been engaged in on both sides over the decades – and Israel is hardly some sort of “angel” in this regard – this young woman’s understanding and appreciation of history, particularly for a Columbia student, is remarkably narrow, to say nothing of lacking in empathy. One can “take up” the Palestinian cause without dismissing or belittling Jewish history. I cannot fathom the historical arrogance and self-centeredness of this young woman.
Ian:
Right, she’s ignorant and showing it, but until such ignorance makes he fail multiple classes, Columbia can’t expel her.
Her go fund me page has 19 bigoy. donors who dont want jews .
They should be exposed too ( they aren’t ashamed to post their name)
Chris:
Link?
“bigoy”?
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Niemöller#:~:text=I%20remained%20silent%3B,one%20left%20to%20speak%20out.
If my kid did this, she would be cut off so fast she would be breathless. Then, when she is working her ass off at an Amazon fulfillment center, there will be way less time for hate mongering and acting the fool.
Bravo!!
Oh, FFS. Meanwhile, post a similar flyer but exclude, say, black people, and all hell would break loose and they, along with all the nose-ringed, blue-haired, they/them attention-seeking hangers-on desperate to associate with any sort of protest to grandstand their self-worth would be on the verge of looting Broadway in a snap.