StandWithUs Campaign Aimed at Columbia U and Highland Emergency Medicine in CA
- StandWithUs
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
(LOS ANGELES, CA — May 21, 2025) -- StandWithUs has initiated a campaign calling on Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) to uphold its academic and ethical standards by denying graduation to medical student Gabrielle Wimer, who is facing unresolved criminal charges stemming from her participation in a campus protest that included Hamas propaganda. The organization also urges Highland Emergency Medicine in Oakland, California, to pause Wimer’s residency placement pending full resolution of her legal and disciplinary status.
Wimer was arrested on March 5, 2025, during an unlawful protest at Barnard College’s Milstein Library, organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). The protest reportedly included materials from the “Hamas Media Office” and chants such as “Intifada, Intifada! Globalize the Intifada!”—a slogan historically linked to violent antisemitic uprisings. Wimer now reportedly faces criminal charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct, and obstructing governmental administration.
"There is little ambiguity here,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs. “Participating in an unlawful protest that promotes materials from Hamas and calls for a global intifada is antisemitic. That Wimer, as a future physician, publicly supported this, whether actively or by association, is deeply alarming.”
Following her arrest, Wimer was reportedly suspended and barred from campus. As a result, she is believed to have missed the first two weeks of “Ready 4 Residency”, a required course with strict attendance rules. If confirmed, this would render her ineligible for graduation under Columbia’s own policies. Permitting her to graduate despite these circumstances would constitute an alarming breach of Columbia’s academic standards.
StandWithUs warns that advancing Wimer to medical residency without completing her academic requirements and while criminal charges remain unresolved undermines academic integrity and patient trust. Moreover, Wimer’s participation in a protest that promoted propaganda from Hamas—a U.S. designated terrorist organization—raises grave ethical risks. If Wimer indeed aligns with Hamas—the organization responsible for the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust—she is fundamentally unfit to care for vulnerable patients, especially Jewish and Israeli individuals who are direct targets of Hamas’ hateful ideology.
“A physician’s role demands trust, neutrality, and the commitment to heal—not hate,” Rothstein added. “Patients must feel safe with their doctors. Associating with Hamas propaganda, whether directly or indirectly, violates that trust.”
Call to Action
StandWithUs calls on:
Columbia VP&S to deny graduation to Wimer until all academic and legal standards are met.
Highland Emergency Medicine to pause her residency pending full review.
Medical institutions and licensing boards to affirm that support for terrorism and antisemitic incitement are disqualifying criteria for physicians.
StandWithUs encourages the public to join its campaign in collaboration with EndJewHatred contacting Columbia University and Highland Hospital to demand accountability, academic integrity, and the protection of all patients’ safety and dignity. StandWithUs is thankful to partner organization EndJewHatred for their collaboration on this campaign to combat bigotry on campus.
ABOUT STANDWITHUS
StandWithUs (SWU) is a 24-year-old international non-partisan education organization that inspires people of all ages about Israel, challenges misinformation and fights against antisemitism.
StandWithUs empowers people around the world to educate others through social media, print and digital materials in different languages, through educational programs and conferences, weekly newsletters, data and analytics, and missions to Israel.
It takes legal action through the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department. It empowers hundreds of student leaders annually through its college Fellowship and high school Internship. SWU provides schools and educators with vital tools through its IsraelLINK middle school program, Holocaust Education Center, and K-12 Fairness Center.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, StandWithUs has chapters throughout the U.S., Israel, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa.
For the last fourteen years, StandWithUs has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator and GuideStar, two charity watchdog groups that assess over a million charities in the United States. This puts StandWithUs in the top 3% of charities ranked for their transparency and accountability.
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