Columbia University students pass college's first-ever Israel boycott referendum

(NY Jewish Week via JTA) — Students at Columbia University have passed a first-ever referendum to boycott and divest from companies that “profit from or engage in the State of Israel’s acts towards Palestinians.”

The news was released to the Columbia student body via email Tuesday morning, the day after the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. According to the vote results shared with The Jewish Week, 61 percent of undergraduates who weighed in (1,081 votes) voted in favor of the referendum, 27 percent (485 votes) voted against it, and 11 percent (205 votes) abstained.

The referendum does not affect...