"Since October 8, my professional reputation has been dragged through the mud. Most of my colleagues won't speak with me, I have been getting so much hate that I've had to grow a thick skin very quickly because at first, it was just too much. I could not, and I still cannot understand how people can harbor so much hate in our hearts for someone they do not know. You know, I jokingly say, 'At least give me the honor of knowing me before you hate me. Maybe you'll find something to hate. But at least give me a chance.' We've lost many, many, many friends."
Shai Davidai is an assistant professor at the Columbia Business School, where he teaches negotiations and studies economic inequality and zero-sum thinking. Shai was born and raised in Israel and lives in New York City with his wife and two kids.
Shortly after October 7th, as protests at Columbia University unabashedly celebrated the slaughter of Jews, Shai made a speech on campus that has gone viral on social media. Since then, he's been outspoken in documenting the growing antisemitism around the country and demanding that universities enforce their own rules and protect the Jewish and Israeli members of their community.