Obama's Israeli Columbia classmates don't recall the young president

No, I mean, really...

Funny--my daughter was at Occidental when he was there, and doesn't remember him, either.

Why in the world would Obama want to meet with alumni he doesn't know and who don't know him? I would hope he has better things to do with his 48 hour visit.

I love Haaretz; but I can't believe this article was even published! Seriously...my jaw just dropped reading through this dribble! I transferred to my university as a sophomore...and lived off campus as well. Most of my friends were either non-college students or attending other schools. I recall of no one from my classes in the two years there and kept in touch with no one who was my peer at my alma mater. Does that mean that I didn't really attend or earn my degree? Does that make me any less qualified or credible as a working professional? You have to be kidding me. Really....what is the point of asking about a classmate from 30 years ago? Especially a Black student you wouldn't have associated with anyway (I'm Black; went to college in the 90s; it was quite "segregated" even then)!

I have a friend who also was in Obama's class and he also doesn't remember him & he knew everyone' in the class. There is a reason that his records, unlike any other President before him, he hasn't released his records. To put blinders on is purely foolish.

I find it puzzling that a group of Israelis who attended Columbia University 30 years ago -- and do not remember their "classmate" who is now President of the United States -- consider this to be newsworthy.

The article mentiioned Columbia College, Barnard, and the School of Engineering. Perhaps he went to the largest ungergraduate school in the university, the School of General Studies.

Who cares if Obama's Israeli Columbia classmates recall them knowing him or not. Such a pathetic unimportant article. I'm sure he does not recall them either. What a waste of an article and a waste of time. Pathetic.

Why in the world would he want to meet with alumni who he had no previous contact with? Like he doesn't have more important things to do with his 48 hour visit? The most ridiculous article I've read lately.

He spent three years working as a community organizer in Chicago before going to Harvard. How can this author be expected to be taken seriously when she can't even get his biography right?

Sounds like something from Adelson's Israel Today, deriding the US president. Missing the old (and real Haaretz...

"none of the 25 or so alumni of his class who are now living in Israel remember laying eyes on him" well maybe because he was non-Jewish black student

:D

Come to think of it, why would they remember him? He only recently began to wreck the US economy.

So what

i dont understand what the author is trying to imply. "well i never saw him" says one, "well i never saw him either" says two. "i never saw obama even though we attended a huge university at the same time" says a third, "yeh i dont really remember him even though i knew everyone" says a fourth. what a titilating article.

So there were "only" 2000 in the graduating class? How many in the school as a whole and how many in that part of Manhattan at the time? How many people that you meant once or twice in the last thirty years do you remember? I vaguely remember the names of some of the people I went to college with but with classes with 20 people or more in them, there is no way to remember all of them.

Every aspect of Obama's background fits the archtype for recruitment. The best way to get dirty work done is to make the political opposition think it is their man doing it. Poser. Betrayer. Professional liar. Puppet of Israel. Obama is all of these and more.

too preoccupied with their own community organisation

I do not think that is so unusual, especially considering it was around 30 years ago. The only "classmates" I can really recall are my old teammates that were on my college ice hockey team, the women I had sex with, and some of the women I *wanted* to have sex with, and that's about it...you know, the important people at that time in a young man's life. LOL

Columbia is a large university. I certainly wouldn't recall any random member of my university cohort.

WHO THE HELL CARES???

Obama has made me proud as l see him cruise his last term, l thank God and am glad he is visiting Israel, the home of Jesus Christ of Nazareth my savior as well as his. The president of America at the time of need he met Jesus and that changed his life to the hero he is today, l hope he will remember this as he enters the city of the LORD Jerusalem, as he prays at the wall that was build by the hands of his comrades many centuries ago. Shalom Jerusalem.

“Not one of us remembers Barack Obama - who transferred to Columbia after his sophomore year at Occidental College in California … “ “the opportunities to bump into your classmates and get to know faces over a period of four years were abundant.” A little contradictory, since Obama was at Columbia two years. Here’s someone who does remember him: http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/jan_feb09/alumni_corner

I have to be honest, this seems like the most pointless article I have ever read. So, nobody remembers him, but we know he went there, but he wasn't as social as other kids... so what? A much more interesting article would have been: who went to school with him, how have their paths differed, what would they want to discuss with the president, and what local events could have impacted who he became. Not, "Do you remember him? Nope? Me neither. Huh."

Having seen so many fake reports,and having spent many years,in Chicago.It doesn't surprise me.The Machine can make up what they want,To appease those who would look for Answers.I knew lots of folks in Chicago In law enforcement,Politics,The fact is I never even herd of him.

Having trouble understanding your point... Are you saying the students who moved to Israel suffer poor memories? That they only mixed with other Jews in college? Or are you trying to imply that he wasn't really a student there?

This is an odd piece. Thirty years ago a transfer student joins a cohort of 2000. 25 members of the cohort have no recollection of the student. Quotes start like "So I hung out with many black students..." that are reminiscent of that old saw "My Black friend says..." Other quotes end "...I knew everyone. But I never saw him around." Yes I am sure you were the BWOC, but you knew everyone? Or could it be that jews (see how I failed to capitalize they way blacks isn't) that decided to settle in Isreal is a fairly self-selected group with particular interests that may not have brought them into contact with young Obama?

Wow, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn beck will have a ball with this one.

How about interviewing people who did know him and quoting or referencing the university itself? This is almost as comical as reading the nonsense spewed by Orly Taitz and Donald Trump...pathetic, poor attempts to be subtle, but condescending, shallow and most likely racist conservative propaganda presented as "journalism."

Believe me, no one at my undergraduate school would remember me either! This is no big deal!

This article is pretentious. It starts out by making an absurd implication about the possibility of Obama not having attended the school. The author does has detailed information on the 25 classmates but not one shred of effort to ask the school to verify to his attendance. I do not support President Obama but this article is distasteful. It implies as if not being popular or outgoing in school to be a social stigma and barrier to accomplishing anything in life.

This is the most absurd waste of investigation time with supposedly the best and the brightest since Trump announced he was dedicating time and money towards a indepth "Birther/college records/background check" on the pres. My high school class (twenty years ago) was less than 500 people and living in the same 10000 people community today I routinely run into people in business or parent teacher organization meetings who I never met or don't remember who we're part of my class (believe it or not some are not in my yearbook. My college class, in my home state (about 20 miles away from the area which I never left) was 1600 and I don't know more than 30 or 40 people (from memory of those years) and I never ran into more than 3 of them. Again what does this prove? Do they not exist? Are they alumni spies or enemies of the state trying to prove a negative? Why? He is not an alien.

Apparently Obama is a bleak, bleak who spreads bleakness wherever he trods and hence the invisible man on campus.

The head line of this article seems like an indictment that Obama did not attend Columbia? My response to Haaretz.com is : I went to a Undergraduate interracial college. Intentional or unintentional, whites excluded blacks. The young white students were too busy with their own circumstances than to focus with building relationships with anyone who was not of their own likeness. This is a primary reason that I always advocate young black students to a attend a HSBC school. It is great to be in the majority and really experience what college life is all about! Otherwise, you will hear white people say they do not remember you. why? At that time,before you became the President, or anything else of great acclaim, they did not care to get to know you!

I went to a Undergraduate interracial college. Intentional or unintentional, whites excluded blacks. The young white students were too busy with their own circumstances than to focus with building relationships with anyone who was not of their own likeness. This is a primary reason that I always advocate young black students to a attend a HSBC school. It is great to be in the majority and really experience what college life is all about! Otherwise, you will incredible white people say they do not remember you. why? At that time,before you became the President, they did not care to get to know you!

This is really shoody journalism...what is the purpose of this....Oh, Obama didn't really go to Columbia? Total BS

What value does this article hold? Is the Haaretz a legitimate NEWS source or another political rhetoric rag. By the way Columbia had just over 5,000 students in its graduate programs. Over 150 would have been of Black descent. Would you be able to remember all 150 in a body of 5000. Not to mention your interviewed sample size is less than ½ percent of the graduate class. Your statistical analysis must have been politically motivated as well. Remember Fact not Fiction.

Does this author have naval experience? This article smells like an attempt at Swiftboating.

I can't remember the names of 70% of the people I graduated with in '06. Why the heck is this news?!

Or was he invisible?

What you all mean? Has he never studied in Columbia?

Words can't describe how little I care that some jews never met the president while he was in school.

This is an obvious photoshop image. Mr Barak's head is disportionate to the rest of his aledged body at Columbia University. Dosn't match guys. Thank you AP News for another insight to the lies of Obama's schoolastic achievements! No wonder none of the aluimi recalls him. Because, he didn't attend Columbia. Why would the current admistration keep his personal records of college classes and such a hidden secret? Just another lie in the growing mountian of lies to lead the sheepeople of the world down the road of who knows where.

Nobody here remembers Netanyahu when he worked at Boston Consulting with Romney... except maybe Romney.

Surely then, after such a logically constructed article, the conclusion must be reached that Obama did not attend Columbia! Please let's start a petition…

I fail to understand why this article is being published. This ritual has been has abandoned long ago when when Columbia proudly announced in 2005, upon being his elected to congress, of the Columbian grad. http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/jan05/cover.php. It seems that the "Noar ha-gvaot" are trying to climb yet another hill.