Holocaust Survivor Predicts Anti-Israel Protests Could End in 'Tragedy for Everybody' as Columbia University Tension Escalates
Tova Friedman said the growing antisemitism is "utterly shocking" to witness.
April 23 2024, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
Auschwitz survivor Tova Friedman issued a stern warning about the growing antisemitism in America, stating that it is a "cancer" that is quickly spreading and "killing our country."
Protests have taken over college campuses as Israel's strikes on Gaza continue in the wake of Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, during which militants killed around 1200 while injuring and kidnapping hundreds.
Antisemitic incidents have surged in the weeks since and encampments are being established amid the heightened division and tension, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Several protesters, including those who are participating in the encampments on campus or have demonstrated in aiding the efforts, have expressed explicit support for Hamas terrorism and urged for further violence, according to a statement from the Anti-Defamation League.
Furthermore, some have also directly confronted Jewish students on and near campus.
Protests have taken over college campuses as Israel's strikes on Gaza continue in the wake of Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, during which militants killed around 1200 while injuring and kidnapping hundreds.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik spoke out this week to address the deep moral distress she has witnessed amongst both sides while continuing efforts to "deescalate the rancor."
Riot police arrested several people during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Yale University hours after Shafik's announcement that classes would be held virtually on Monday.
"It is shocking! It is utterly shocking!" Friedman said during an appearance on Fox News. "You know, when I walked out of Auschwitz with my mother, walking through these gates, and I thought — I was six and a half, and I was a very adult six and a half, not like a child, you know?"
"I think of it as a virus or like a cancer," she said. "If you don't stop it early, it kills the body."
"And I said I will never, never have anybody call me a dirty Jew or anything else again. I am free now," the Daughter of Auschwitz author continued, revealing she viewed America as the "promised land."
Friedman predicted that tragedy could result in the future if "this isn't contained."
"What is the end product of any hatred and prejudice? It is death to somebody. It could be death to themselves, death to their opponents," she explained, noting it can spiral into something far more sinister. "Because we didn't stop Hitler like we had a chance during Kristallnacht."
Friedman predicted that tragedy could result in the future if "this isn't contained."
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"That type of behavior and anger and hatred" only results in more calamity, the New York Times bestseller added. "Tragedy for everybody. Not only tragedy for the Jews, God forbid tragedy for themselves, because it's going to be a terrible clash. We have to find a way to stop it."
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"I think of it as a virus or like a cancer," she said. "If you don't stop it early, it kills the body."
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