Dr. Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School who rose to national prominence for his criticism of his university’s response to on-campus protests related to the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, is scheduled to speak at a Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA) “Lunch and Learn” discussion regarding campus antisemitism tomorrow, Feb. 11. Shortly after JLSA announced Davidai’s visit, student organizations, including Fordham Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Fordham Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Fordham Law’s Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild released a call to action asking students to sign a petition calling for Fordham to cancel Davidai’s appearance.

Davidai, who is Jewish and Israeli, was banned from Columbia University’s campus last October because he “repeatedly harassed and intimidated University employees in violation of University policy,” during an Oct. 7 memorial, according to a statement from Columbia. Davidai was not teaching at the time of the ban.

There has been support for Davidai on Columbia’s campus, with hundreds of students signing a petition last November calling for a reversal of his suspension.

“We do not believe that someone with a documented history of harassment and incitement should be given a platform at Fordham, particularly when his rhetoric directly endangers students,” said a spokesperson from SJP. “We believe that emboldening hatred against students—who align with international human rights experts in calling out genocide—not only endangers those students but creates a campus environment where harassment and intimidation are tolerated over genuine student safety.”

The petition calls on students to email members of Fordham’s administration and file complaints with Public Safety in advance of Davidai’s visit.

“So far, the administration and public safety have been made fully aware of the event and our concerns, as has Shai Davidai. Yet they’ve made their stance clear: they are willing to forgo Jesuit values and student safety, allowing the event to continue,” said the SJP spokesperson. “This is not about free speech—it’s about the administration’s deliberate choice to protect those who spread harmful and biased rhetoric rather than the students directly impacted by it.”

Davidai said he learned about the Fordham petition after seeing it on Instagram. 

“I was really shocked. There was nothing controversial about my event. The only thing that is controversial about this event is that I’m Jewish and Israeli, that’s it. But me being Jewish and Israeli is controversial,” he said in a Zoom interview. “There is an investigation [by Columbia], I’m not gonna lie. But it’s based on lies. That’s why it hasn’t been closed.”

The investigation by Columbia into Davidai’s actions began last year and is ongoing.

The founder of the Fordham chapter of JVP, who asked not to be named due to the “advice of others,” said in a statement, “JVP condemns Shai Davidai because he’s harassed, threatened, and doxxed students and even faculty and administration. This has nothing to do with free speech, like Shai or the JLSA might want you to think; this is about protecting our fellow students, especially Muslim and Arab women whom he tends to target.”

JVP is “the world’s largest Jewish organization standing in solidarity with Palestine,” according to their website.

JLSA said they invited Davidai as a part of their ongoing “Lunch and Learn” series, where they bring in speakers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Professor Davidai has been dealing with campus antisemitism at Columbia University since the events of October 7, and we are excited to learn more about his experiences,” said Eli Fisher, FSL ’26, president of JLSA. “I also don’t agree with everything Professor Davidai says. That’s why I am excited to attend this conversation and discuss my questions.” 

Fisher said that inviting Davidai to campus fell within the Law School’s tradition of free expression. “In law school, we learn about the Socratic method and freedom of speech,” he said. “I don’t think those should go out the window the second you disagree with someone.”

In contrast, SJP highlighted that the focus of their petition is student safety.

“It is also important to preemptively address the inevitable bad-faith attempts to misrepresent our demands as antisemitic. This petition is not, and has never been, about targeting Jewish students or Jewish voices—rather, it is about holding Fordham accountable for platforming someone with a clear record of harassment and incitement,” said SJP in their statement. “Many of those organizing against this event, including Jewish students and faculty, recognize that this is not an issue of religious identity but of student safety and institutional accountability.”

Davidai said that people need clarity on where he stands regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“I’m bringing in another perspective. If people took the time to actually read and listen to what I said, they’d find out I’m actually a leftist. I’m a lefty Israeli who believes in a two-state solution, who has protested Netanyahu and got punched in the face in protest against Netanyahu in Israel,” he said. “I have spoken up about my support for the Palestinian people multiple times. I have written op-eds about my support for Palestinian statehood. But I’ve also spoken up against Hamas. I’ve also spoken up about my support for Israel’s rights to exist.”

At the time of this article’s publication, Davidai’s visit is still scheduled to go on. Fisher said JLSA has had “numerous” conversations with public safety due to concerns from members about potential protests.

Even so, Fisher said that some Jewish students on campus have concerns about possible protests that might take place at Fordham on Tuesday when Davidai visits.

“We remain worried about the physical safety of our group members,” said Fisher. “Just like last year during finals, we have Jewish students who feel unsafe and plan on staying home that day.” 

However, Davidai is not concerned about safety concerns posed by a possible protest.

“I’m not worried about my own safety. I don’t think colleges should be a place where people are afraid to speak, especially about noncontroversial issues,” said Davidai. “I’ve been traveling around the world for the past six months, and I’ve never been protested.”

“We hope to make it impossible for the administration to ignore the broader consequences of their decision to platform a man that spews dangerous and untrue rhetoric,” said SJP. Even if these efforts don’t yield immediate results, they expose institutional failures, escalate accountability, and lay the groundwork for real change.” 

This is a developing story.