The storming of Hamilton Hall in 2024 at Columbia University (Alex Kent/Getty Images) In December, Columbia University’s anti-Semitism task force recommended hiring Middle East professors who are “not explicitly anti-Zionist,” noting that Columbia would benefit from some diversity of perspective among its tenure-track faculty who study the region. This proposal was met with rage by the union that represents Columbia’s graduate students, many of whom are part-time teaching assistants, screenshots from an official union group chat obtained by the Free Beacon show. Union members compared Zionists to racists and fascists and said they “f—ing hate” Columbia. “I think the way they’ve framed it carefully states that the existing faculty are anti and they want ‘not anti,’” wrote Student Workers of Columbia (SWC) member Jon Ben-Menachem, “Which is still quite zany if you thought [sic] about ‘not anti racist.’” Fellow union member Hayes Buchanan said the recommendation amounted to “affirmative action for zionist views,” “trigger warnings for zionists,” and a “giant pot of money to pay zionists with.” Others used more plain language. “Jesús f—ing cristo,” wrote an SWC member identified as “Lex,” who added, “I’m so over these idiots.” “I enjoy colonizing and genocide,” the chair of the union’s board of trustees, Adithya Gungi, wrote sarcastically. “I f—ing hate this university.” “The messages provide an inside look at the union’s hostility not just toward Israel and its supporters but also toward the university the union has spent the last year negotiating with in search of a new contract,” writes the Free Beacon’s Jessica Schwalb. “In addition to pushing for massive pay increases for student workers, SWC is demanding Columbia dismantle ties to the Jewish state and adopt an ‘academic freedom’ article that gives teaching assistants free rein to insert progressive politics into unrelated lectures without facing disciplinary action, the Free Beacon reported.” “The December report from Columbia’s anti-Semitism task force—its fourth and final—noted that Columbia ‘lacks full-time tenure line faculty expertise in Middle East history, politics, political economy, and policy that is not explicitly anti-Zionist.’ It also detailed numerous instances of instructors casting Jews and Israelis as occupiers and ‘murderers’ in classes unrelated to the conflict in Gaza. In the SWC group chat, several union members cast doubt on the veracity of those incidents. At the same time, they vowed to talk about ‘Israel Palestine’ in class even if Columbia barred them from doing so.” READ MORE: ‘I F—ing Hate This University’: Columbia Student Workers Union Erupts Over Anti-Semitism Task Force’s Recommendation To Hire Middle East Professors Who Don’t Hate Israel