Davidai posted on social media that he had been cleared of allegations filed against him last year. He was previously suspended after he was accused of harassment and intimidation.
Columbia Business School Assistant Professor Shai Davidai speaks during a rally to mark the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, on October 6, 2024, in New York City. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images
Shai Davidai is leaving Columbia University.
Per an email sent to Columbia Business School faculty on Wednesday morning from Dean Costis Maglaras and obtained by The Intercept, the vocal pro-Israel business school assistant professor made the decision to leave the school.
Davidai soon followed the internal announcement with a social media post declaring that Columbia’s Office of Institutional Equity had cleared him of allegations filed against him in February of last year. He was temporarily suspended last year after Columbia said he “repeatedly harassed and intimidated University employees in violation of University policy.”
“BOOM,” Davidai wrote, alongside a screenshot of a note on Columbia letterhead from the vice provost for the Office of Institutional Equity. Davidai and a Columbia University spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Davidai, who joined the business school in 2019, received viral attention for his pro-Israel tirades and self-filmed videos of his confrontations with pro-Palestine protesters. Several students, including Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, have also alleged that Davidai targeted themand called for them to be deported in the lead-up to their arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Davidai was also a member of a prominent WhatsApp group of Columbia alumni, parents, and professors that strategized about how to deport pro-Palestine students, The Intercept reported. He has noted that he does not have tenure at the school.