“University Presidents Come Under Fire for Responses on Genocide Against Jews”
The presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and M.I.T. found themselves facing harsh criticism and calls for their resignations after their responses came under scrutiny during a contentious congressional hearing on Wednesday. The hearing focused on their handling of student demands for the genocide of Jews on campus. In what seemed like a rather simple question, their answers failed to condemn such language of hatred and violence.
The statements by the university presidents drew incredulous responses from various quarters, including the White House. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said, “It’s unbelievable that this needs to be said: Calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country.”
Even the liberal academic Laurence Tribe found himself agreeing with Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, who sharply questioned the university presidents. “Claudine Gay’s hesitant, formulaic, and bizarrely evasive answers were deeply troubling to me and many of my colleagues, students, and friends,” he wrote on social media.
While the presidents all expressed their disgust with antisemitism and declared support for the right of Israel to exist, their reluctance to give clear and forceful statements against calls for the genocide of Jews drew sharp criticism from leaders, politicians, alumni, and students.
Governor Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, found the statements by Elizabeth Magill, Penn’s president, “unacceptable.” He said, “It should not be hard to condemn genocide, genocide against Jews, genocide against anyone else.” Shapiro has called for the trustees of Penn to rescind their support for Ms. Magill and hold a meeting soon.
In a time when campus pro-Palestinian protests have been watched with trepidation and fear by many Jewish students, alumni, and donors, the university presidents’ responses are being seen as a failure to stand up against antisemitism.
Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was also critical, stating, “The right to free speech is fundamental, but calling for the genocide of Jews is antisemitic and harassment, full stop.”
Representative Elise Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, also took issue with the responses of the university presidents. In one particularly contentious exchange with Harvard president, she exclaimed, “That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context?”
The controversy has sparked widespread calls for the resignation of the three university presidents, including from influential alumni like the billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. M.I.T. did not respond to requests for a comment, while Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, attempted to clarify her previous statements through a new statement.
“There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students. Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account,” Dr. Gay said.
The responses of the university presidents, particularly their hesitation and apparent reluctance to outrightly condemn calls for violence and genocide against Jews, have ignited a fiery debate about free speech, hate speech, and the responsibility of academic leaders in maintaining an inclusive and safe campus environment for all students.