Harvard Apologizes for Remarks on Curbing Antisemitism as Pressure Mounts on Penn’s President
WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University President, Claudine Gay, issued an apology as pressure continues to escalate for the resignation of University of Pennsylvania President, Liz Magill, following their testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism. Criticism from the White House and other sources claims that their responses failed to demonstrate a commitment to combating antisemitism on campus.
In an interview with The Crimson student newspaper on Thursday, Gay acknowledged her failure to adequately denounce threats of violence against Jewish students during a heated exchange at the House committee hearing. The controversy surrounding their testimonies prompted lawyers representing major Penn donor, Ross Stevens, to issue a letter to Penn’s general counsel threatening to withdraw a $100 million gift unless Magill is replaced, citing the university’s stance on antisemitism.
Gay’s and Magill’s testimonies have sparked nationwide backlash, alongside similar responses from the president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, who also testified before the Republican-led House Education and Workforce Committee earlier in the week. Calls for the resignations of the three university presidents have been made by donors and members of Congress from both parties.
The issue at hand revolves around a line of questioning regarding whether advocating for the genocide of Jews would violate their respective universities’ codes of conduct. During Tuesday’s hearing, Gay stated that the determination would depend on the context, emphasizing that when speech crosses into conduct, that violates our policies.
Reflecting on her testimony, Gay expressed regret and stated, What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged.
Magill also amended her statements on Wednesday, acknowledging that a call for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment or intimidation. She further encouraged a review of Penn’s policies, expressing the need for clarification and evaluation, as they have historically been guided by the U.S. Constitution.
In recent times, universities across the United States have faced accusations of inadequately protecting Jewish students amidst reports of rising antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The three presidents were summoned to the congressional committee to address these allegations, but their responses, characterized as legalistic, have drawn renewed criticism from opponents.
The White House has joined in condemning Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth, with a spokesperson denouncing calls for genocide as monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also expressed his disapproval of Magill’s testimony, calling it unacceptable and urging the university’s trustees to consider her position. On Thursday evening, he joined Jewish students at Penn for a Hanukkah celebration on campus.
The fallout from the testimonies has tarnished Gay’s early tenure at Harvard, following her assumption of the presidency in July, and has fueled discord within the Ivy League institution. Rabbi David Wolpe resigned from a newly-formed committee on antisemitism established by Gay, stating in a social media post that the events on campus, as well as the insufficient testimony, have eroded his belief in his ability to make a meaningful impact. Gay expressed gratitude for Wolpe’s contributions, acknowledging that he had deepened her understanding of the presence of antisemitism at Harvard.
The Republican-led House committee announced on Thursday that it would launch an investigation into the policies and disciplinary procedures at Harvard, MIT, and Penn. Additionally, separate federal civil rights investigations were initiated at Harvard, Penn, and several other universities in response to complaints filed with the U.S. Education Department.
Within Penn, some donors and alumni have criticized the university’s response to antisemitic incidents on campus, including the drawing of a swastika in the design school building and vandalism at the Hillel chapter, all of which occurred prior to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The $100 million gift from Ross Stevens, a share of his Stone Ridge Holdings Group, was pledged in 2017 to establish the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance. However, according to the letter from Stevens’ lawyers, Penn’s permissive approach to hate speech calling for violence against Jews and laissez-faire attitude toward harassment and discrimination likely violate the terms of the donor agreement. The letter also indicated that should a new university president be appointed, Stevens and Stone Ridge would be open to giving Penn an opportunity to rectify the violations.
Reporting from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Levy contributed to this article.
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