Barnard College's library, a prestigious institution known for its commitment to academic freedom, has come under scrutiny for its collection of anti-Israel literature.
The library's shelves are brimming with pamphlets that promote anti-Israel sentiments, some of which are published by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a student group with a history of anti-Semitic activities. The pamphlets, or "zines" as they are known, also include content that glorifies assassinated Hamas leaders such as Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, and even attempts to justify the October 7 attack, according to information obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
These zines are not clandestinely placed on the library shelves by students, but are officially incorporated into Barnards Milstein Library, as evidenced by their listing on Columbia Universitys online catalog.
A review by the Free Beacon revealed a dozen anti-Israel publications among the catalog of approximately 4,000 zines. The zine collection is managed by several Barnard students and director Jenna Freedman, a known advocate of anti-Israel sentiments and a founding member of the group Librarians and Archivists for Palestine.
The presence of these zines, previously unreported, is indicative of the widespread anti-Semitism at Barnard and Columbia. CUAD, the group behind the publication of some of these zines, led a raid on Milstein Library on March 5, during which two security officials were injured and Hamas propaganda justifying the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack was distributed.
Two of the anti-Israel zines published by CUAD were featured in Milstein Librarys June 2024 exhibit of zines. The exhibit aimed to highlight "how we can be complicit in systems of oppression locally and abroad." One of these zines advocated for the anti-Semitic boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement and called on "KKKOLUMBIA" to defund its Public Safety office.
It also quoted George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), labeling Columbia a "bodyguard of U.S. imperialism," and included a complex flowchart linking university leadership to military contractors, tech giants, Israel, and the New York City Police Department.
Despite the controversial content, Barnard continues to house two copies of this zine, as confirmed by photos obtained by the Free Beacon. One of these copies even bears a sticker with a barcode and text reading "COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES."
Another zine, styled like a tween scrapbook, condemns Barnard President Laura Ann Rosenbury, accusing her of "weaponizing Jewish pain to support genocide" and calling for a boycott of her February 2024 inauguration. This zine, titled Barnard Burn Book by CUAD but sanitized to For Laura for the library exhibit, remains on Barnards shelf, as confirmed by a photo obtained by the Free Beacon.
Nearly two weeks after Rosenburys inauguration, the pamphlet was uploaded to the online catalog, making it accessible to Columbia and Barnard students and alumni.
Barnards zine collection includes other titles such as Queers, Wake Up!, We Are All Gaza Free Palestine!, Occupation and (Medical) Apartheid in Palestine, and A Guide to Palestinian Solidarity Rallies. Barnard describes its zines as self-published works that provide a platform for the experiences of marginalized communities. However, the Free Beacon found no zines promoting pro-Israel, pro-Zionist, or pro-Jewish messages, despite a surge in anti-Semitic incidents to an unprecedented 10,000 in the year following Hamass terrorist attack, as reported by the Anti-Defamation League.
In addition to the CUAD publications, Milstein Library also stocks an issue of the Indigenous Solidarity Zine, published approximately a month after Hamass Oct. 7 attack. This zine, created by a group of creators indigenous to what is referred to as the United States and Canada, was produced in "direct response to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people."
The issue, titled Free Palestine from the River to the Sea, repeatedly uses quotation marks around mentions of Israel, undermining the legitimacy of the Jewish state. It also encourages readers to donate to various aid groups linked to anti-Semitism, including the Hamas-tied United Nations Relief and Works Agency; the Palestine Childrens Relief Fund, which has partnered with Hamas-linked groups; the American subsidiary of Islamic Relief Worldwide, accused by the United States of spreading anti-Semitism; and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, whose national chairman stated that Israel "has no right to exist."
The zine collection at Barnard, while claiming to support intellectual curiosity, creativity, scholarship, and teaching, appears to exclusively center on left-wing activism. The colleges catalog prioritizes zines "created by women and transfeminine people, with a collection emphasis on zines by BIPOC women/transfeminine and by transwomen of all races and ethnicities," according to its website. However, the inclusion of pro-Hamas material seems contradictory, given the terror group's notorious misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia.
Despite the controversy surrounding the zine collection, a Barnard spokesman stated that the colleges collection "exists to support intellectual curiosity, creativity, scholarship, and teaching." He added, "The College does not endorse the content of any individual zine, just as it does not endorse every book on the librarys shelves. But the ability of students, faculty, and researchers to access materials, including those we may disagree with, or even find reprehensible, and to study them critically is fundamental to academic freedom and the mission of higher education itself."
Columbia University did not respond to a request for comment. Jenna Freedman, the director overseeing the zine collection, was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
The presence of these zines in Barnard's library raises questions about the institution's commitment to academic freedom and its responsibility to provide a balanced perspective on contentious issues.
It also highlights the need for a more rigorous selection process for library materials, one that ensures the representation of diverse viewpoints and prevents the promotion of hate speech or propaganda.
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