The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil is driving a wedge between American Jews - The Jewish Chronicle

The New York Times wants you to know that American Jews are split. The arrest of former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a spokesman for the campus’s anti-West and anti-Israel activists has, indeed, divided American Jews. But elected Democrats’ response to the arrest has arguably triggered a more significant Jewish reaction.

Based on public comments, the “schism” over arrest that the newspaper covered appears lopsided. One side includes large, mainstream liberal organisations such as the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee, Jewish conservatives, centrists, and liberals who appear to support the arrest, even if they also support due process. The other side is vocal but much smaller, and includes hard-left Jews, fringe organisations and professional progressives. This group remain aligned with their political tribe. They want voters to know they’re concerned, and Khalil is a priority.

For example, New York City congressman Jerry Nadler called the arrest a “frightening violation of immigration law that will not make Jewish students safer on campus”. Of course, Nadler’s referencing Jewish student safety might sound more genuine if he hadn’t recently opposed the Trump administration’s cutting $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University over its “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students”.

Marylander and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee Jamie Raskin issued a press release saying: “The detention of Mahmoud Khalil is ripped straight from the authoritarian playbook.” He, too, painted the arrest as a First Amendment violation, before assuring the public that, like Nadler, he was “closely monitoring the situation”.

And then there’s Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, the Jews’ self-proclaimed protector, who told Columbia to “keep heads down” amid Congress’s campus antisemitism concerns, because “political problems are really only among Republicans”.

Schumer claimed: “I abhor many of the opinions and policies that Mahmoud Khalil holds and supports and have made my criticism of the antisemitic actions at Columbia loudly known,” before suggesting this episode could be about disfavoured speech.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained Khalil’s case “is not about free speech” but who has “a right to be in the United States”. Immigration lawyer Matthew Kolken posted on X: “A green card is not citizenship conferring a permanent right to live in the United States and it can be revoked if you engage in disqualifying activities.” Beyond that, Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Centre, told me that “the Supreme Court has made clear that even advocacy done in coordination with an FTO [foreign terrorist organisation] is not protected speech and is unlawful”. But even before the three aforementioned Democratic officials commented, the Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats posted: “Free Mahmoud Khalil.” Five days after these same Democrats had downplayed campus antisemitism in a committee hearing, this showcased their priorities. And Jews on X noticed.

David Draiman, frontman of the band Disturbed, who supports Khalil’s “detention and deportation”, posted: “The Democrats’ betrayal of American Jews is painful, but unfortunately, no longer shocking.”

Others were still processing. Blake Flayton, who has a podcast called We Should All be Zionists, posted: “The Democrats could have said: ‘We believe in due process. We believe in free speech. We want to be diligent and follow the law.’ Instead they post a glamour shot of an accused Hamas supporter with intent to lionise him. It feels like, finally, we’re at the point of no return.”

There was anger. Seconding Flayton, writer and community organiser Kaye Steinsapir posted: “We are at the point of no return. Liberal Jewish Democrats like me and @blakeflayton and MANY more. @JudiciaryDems, you told us, in no uncertain terms, that you don’t give a f**k about us. Tbh, the party has been telling us that for over a year. We’re done.”

There was also a documented exit. Jennifer posted her voter registration form, commenting, “I’d like to thank the @JudiciaryDems and @NewYorkStateAG for motivating me to officially leave the Democratic Party. Your posts about Mahmoud Khalil were the final straw.” @Scribemoon added: “Hearing a LOT of this from Jewish Dems. This was the final straw.”

We are definitely living through a historical inflection point. As recently as last year, Democratic officials were criticised for trying to please “both sides” in public discussions about Israel and antisemitism. But Democratic officials have now overwhelmingly taken a side, and it’s not the mainstream American Jews.

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