Bari Weiss

Bio

Bari Weiss, born March 25, 1984, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, grew up in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood in a Reform Jewish family as the eldest of four sisters. Her parents owned businesses in flooring and furniture. She attended Community Day School and Shady Side Academy, had her bat mitzvah at Tree of Life Synagogue, and participated in a gap-year program in Israel through Nativ, where she contributed to building a medical clinic for Bedouins in the Negev, studied at a feminist yeshiva, and attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Weiss graduated from Columbia University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in history. During her time there, she founded the Columbia Coalition for Sudan in response to the Darfur conflict, served as the founding editor of The Current (a magazine on politics, culture, and Jewish affairs), and co-founded Columbians for Academic Freedom, which alleged intimidation of pro-Israel students by pro-Palestinian professors in the Middle East studies department. A university committee investigated these claims, criticizing one professor but also noting a lack of civility on campus from various groups, including pro-Israel students.