Columbia postpones fundraiser amid Israel-Hamas war tension

Columbia University in the United States postponed its massive Giving Day fundraising event scheduled for Wednesday 25 October amid simmering tensions on campus over the Israel-Hamas war, writes Matt Egan for CNN.

Giving Day is a critical fundraising event for Columbia, as the university has noted endowment funding and tuition fees do not cover the entire cost of education. The annual event raised nearly US$30 million in just 24 hours last year. “After careful consideration and consultation with university and alumni leadership, we decided that this is not the appropriate time to move forward with Columbia Giving Day,” Columbia spokesperson Samantha Slater said in a statement. “It is postponed for the time being, and a decision on rescheduling will be made in the near future.”

The Hamas terror attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have caused tensions at college campuses across America and contributed to a backlash from powerful donors at some elite universities. At Columbia, school officials took the rare step earlier this month of shutting the campus down to the public as two simultaneous rallies were held on school grounds. That decision came after the assault of a Columbia student who was hanging up posters on campus in support of Israel.
Full report on the CNN site