Harvard Jewish organization says testimony fails to reassure them that the university is seriously concerned about antisemitic rhetoric pervasive on campus.
A Harvard Jewish student organization has criticized Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, for her testimony over anti-Semitism on campus following her hearing before Congress on Dec. 5.
“When pressed during her testimony, President Gay repeatedly equivocated, refusing to characterize calls for the genocide of Jews as a breach of Harvard’s code of conduct, instead saying the offense ‘depends on the context,'” the Jewish student association Harvard Hillel said in its statement.
“President Gay’s refusal to draw a line around threatening antisemitic speech as a violation of Harvard’s policies is profoundly shocking given explicit provisions within the conduct code prohibiting this kind of bullying and harassment,” the student organization added.
The criticism came after Ms. Gay, alongside Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, and Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), testified before the Congress over campus anti-semitism on Dec. 5.
The hearing, titled “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Anti-Semitism,” was called by chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
During the testimony, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) pressed Ms. Gay to answer whether “calling for the genocide of Jews and the elimination of Israel” violates Harvard’s codes of conduct.
“We embrace a commitment to free expression and give a wide berth to free expression even of views that are objectionable, outrageous and offensive,” Ms. Gay responded.
In its statement, the Harvard Hillel said, “A call for genocide against Jews is always a hateful incitement of violence. President Gay’s failure to properly condemn this speech calls into question her ability to protect Jewish students on Harvard’s campus.”
In addition, the Harvard Hillel noted that “Chants to ‘globalize the intifada,’ an endorsement of violent terrorist attacks against Jewish and Israeli civilians, and ‘from the river to the sea,’ an eliminationist slogan intended to deprive Jews of their right to self-determination in Israel, have become tragically routine at Harvard.”
