Wayne Proudfoot, a professor emeritus of religion at Columbia University, actively aligned himself with antisemitic activism on campus and justified Hamas terrorism after the October 7, 2023 massacre. His actions placed him among Columbia faculty who publicly supported the pro-Hamas encampment and defended students involved in antisemitic rhetoric and intimidation of Jewish peers.
Participation in the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia
On April 22, 2024, Proudfoot joined other Columbia faculty in the “Faculty Walkout” rally, held to support the pro-Hamas encampment and students suspended after violent campus actions. Faculty carried signs such as “END STUDENT SUSPENSIONS NOW” and “HANDS OFF OUR STUDENTS” as they marched to the library steps facing the encampment. A crowd gathered, chanting “Disclose! Divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!” Faculty members addressed the crowd in support of the encampment, which had become a focal point of antisemitic harassment targeting Jewish students.
Justifying Hamas Terrorism
Proudfoot was among the Columbia faculty who signed an October 30, 2023 open letter that described Hamas’s October 7 atrocities as a “military response” and “an occupied people exercising a right to resist.” The letter defended student activists who issued a statement portraying the attacks as legitimate “military action” rather than war crimes. By framing the massacre of 1,200 Israelis—including mass rape, torture, kidnappings, and the murder of civilians—as “resistance,” Proudfoot aligned himself with rhetoric that normalizes terrorism and fuels antisemitic hostility on campus.
Anti-Israel Activism and Background
Proudfoot has also expressed support for the Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)—groups central to campus antisemitic protests. His involvement further entrenched faculty endorsement of groups whose demonstrations intimidated Jewish students and glorified terrorism.
As of October 2024, Proudfoot was listed on Columbia’s website as Professor Emeritus of Religion in the Department of Religion and Department of Philosophy. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 1972.
