ASAF EYAL 

Asaf Eyal moved to New York, NY ten years ago from Rishon Le Zion, Israel with a keen interest in serving the unhoused population of the City. While living in Israel, and during his service in the IDF, he dedicated himself to helping underprivileged populations of the Jewish Ethiopian community in his hometown.   
 
Asaf’s journey in New York City was as a student of the Masters of Social Work program at Columbia University School of Social Work. He also volunteered at a soup kitchen, graduating in 2017 and working his way up to becoming the Program Director of a large family shelter in Brooklyn, New York. He began empowering unhoused New Yorkers from the day he landed in New York, but in 2020, during the COVID19 crisis, his work was so exemplary that the City of New York awarded Asaf a Certificate of Appreciation for Dedicated Service, and going “above and beyond” to make sure the immigrants of New York have access to critical services the City provides. 

A Licensed Master Social Worker, Asaf also served – until recently  – as a graduate student field work instructor at Columbia University. But he resigned his position following the administration’s refusal to condemn a disruptive, antisemitic and hateful protest on campus that praised Hamas and condemned Israel, and interrupted a silent vigil at the School of Social Work held for the victims of the October 7, 2023 massacres in Israel.  
 

While resigning, Asaf held his diploma upside down and posted his resignation on social media. His action sparked a movement of alumni from Columbia and other schools to “Flip Your Diploma” when they encountered similar antisemitism and discrimination.  

Married to Dana with four children, Asaf also wrote a book last year about his encounters with homelessness that has been published in Israel, and will soon be published in English. 

Flip Your Diploma Campaign