# Shai Davidai

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Shai Davidai (Hebrew: שי דוידאי; born 1983 or 1984) is an Israeli assistant professor of business at Columbia Business School known for his outspoken advocacy for Israel and against the 2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupations. After the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and subsequent Gaza war, Davidai's pro-Israel activity has led him into conflict with Columbia University students, faculty, and administrators.

## Early life and education

Davidai is Jewish, and was born in Ramat Gan, Israel. His father was born in Haifa and his mother in Givatayim in Israel.
Davidai earned a B.A. in psychology and cognitive science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2009. After moving to the United States, he earned a Ph.D. in social psychology and personality psychology from Cornell University in 2015. Professor Thomas Gilovich was his Ph.D. advisor.

## Career

Davidai did a post-doctoral fellowship at the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs in 2015-16. His first faculty position was at The New School for Social Research, where he was assistant professor of psychology from 2016 to 2019.
In 2019, Davidai joined the Columbia Business School faculty as assistant professor of business. He studies how people's views on inequality, success, and failure affect their well-being.
His work has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and numerous social and experimental psychology journals. Davidai's findings on FOMO, nepo babies, and perception of income inequality have been featured in The New York Times, Scientific American, The Guardian, and The New Yorker.

### Columbia University protests

After the October 7 attacks and subsequent Israel-Hamas war, protests erupted at numerous educational institutions, including Columbia University. After a Columbia SJP leader and a faculty member called the attacks "an unprecedented historic moment" and "a stunning victory", Davidai spoke at a candlelight vigil on campus. He approached the Columbia Business School dean, met with the university president, and called on the school administration to condemn Hamas.
Davidai wrote an open letter to every parent in America, warning them about antisemitism at universities and criticizing university leadership for supporting pro-terror campus organizations. He argued that KKK or ISIS supporters would not be allowed to demonstrate on campus. He described his alarm at students' "hatred" of "the existence of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people".
Davidai's ID card was temporarily deactivated in April 2024, preventing him from accessing the main campus. In April 2024, a petition alleging that Davidai harassed pro-Palestinian students and calling for his termination obtained over 10,000 signatures. Davidai denied targeting any individual students and said he focused on "student organizations that have turned this campus into a hostile environment by openly celebrating terrorism and promoting violence against Israel and Jews". He added that he was receiving death threats daily.
In October 2024, Davidai was temporarily suspended from Columbia's campus following the anniversary of the October 7 attacks. The university stated that he had repeatedly harassing university employees. He subsequently published a video of himself following and questioning a university administrator about the university's response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus that day. Columbia said Davidai threatened and intimidated the university's chief operating officer, Cas Holloway, violating university policies. Over 400 university professors, students, parents, alumni, and staff signed a letter to interim university president Katrina Armstrong calling Davidai's suspension "egregious". In December 2024, when a Jewish student was punched in the face at a Barnard pro-Palestinian protest, Davidai argued that the university's tolerance of hateful demonstrations, demonization of Jewish students, and indoctrination by Students for Justice in Palestine had promoted the conditions leading to the violence.

## Political views

Davidai opposes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and supports the creation of a Palestinian state. He considers himself pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian, anti-terror, and a liberal leftist. He has been critical of Columbia University's response to pro-Palestinian campus occupations and antisemitism on its campus. Davidai's videos include warnings against the dangers of hate speech. He interprets "from the river to the sea" and "globalize the intifada" as calls to violence against Israelis and Jews. He notes that student organizations have condemned "Zionists" on campus.