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 2024. 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 saying that it was closing Davidai’s case without finding wrongdoing. University policy allows the office to close investigations when an employee no longer works there.
“Assistant Professor of Business Shai Davidai has decided to depart Columbia, effective July 8, 2025,” Columbia spokesperson Millie Wert said in a statement to The Intercept. “The University thanks him for his service and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.”
Semafor was the first to report the news of Davidai’s departure.
Davidai 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 them and 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.
Update: July 9, 2025, 3:57 p.m. ET
This story has been updated with additional information.
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