Former CNN anchor claims sons will be 'safer' in Israel than in New York's upper West side

A former CNN anchor took her two sons with her to Israel on Sunday for Passover, where she claimed they would be safer than on New York City's Upper West Side, now that antisemitic protests have broken out at Columbia University.

More than 100 people have been arrested at pro-Palestine protests on Columbia's Manhattan campus, which began on Wednesday, and the school's president even transferred classes to an online format on Monday. 

Campbell Brown, who served as a prime time anchor for CNN from 2008-2010, said her family is more welcomed in Israel than they are on the streets of New York. The social media post came the day before the Jewish holiday of Passover, which stretches seven days, beginning Monday.

"I’m on my way to Israel where my two sons will be safer and feel more welcomed than they would be today on the Upper West Side. #AmYisraelChai," Brown posted to X on Sunday.

Brown's husband, an author and former foreign policy adviser from the Bush administration, shared Brown's post with a series of pro-Israel emojis. Brown and her husband have been sharing posts about the unrest at Columbia, including one post that Brown labeled as "outrageous" which came from Rabbi Elie Buechler, director of Columbia and Barnard College’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, who told Jewish students to go home until it is safe to return to campus.

"Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy," Buechler said in a letter posted to X. "It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved."

Pro-Israel donors have also pulled funding for the university recently, amid the protests, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has donated millions to the school, and even created the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia.

“I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country,” Kraft said in a statement through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken. It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of many of us who have lost faith in the institution.”