A group of former Israeli scholars, including postdoctoral fellows and visiting professors from Harvard University, have issued a scathing open letter condemning the rise of antisemitism on campus.
Dated December 12, 2023, the letter is a direct plea to Claudine Gay and the Harvard administration.
The letter stated, "We have been closely following the organized pro-Hamas riots approved by Harvard University," referring to incidents following actions by the Hamas terror organization. It goes on to describe these events with alarming language, "Protesters freely chanting for the extermination of Israel or, to be more precise, the elimination of the Jewish population from Israel."
Condemning hate speech
These former scholars highlight a troubling inconsistency at Harvard, noting, "This type of hate speech would be castigated and forbidden if aimed at any other ethnic, national, or religious group." They point out the irony in the university's response, or lack thereof, to what they term as "celebrating the massacre" and calls for genocide, albeit directed towards Jews.
Perhaps the most striking quote in the letter captures the essence of their frustration and fear: "The deafening silence by Harvard’s leadership is a support for mayhem directed at any person with ethnic, cultural, religious, and moral links to Judaism."
Harvard University's governing board publicly declared support for the Ivy League school's president on Tuesday, a day after meeting to weigh the public backlash following remarks she made last week at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
The Harvard Corporation, the university's governing body, announced the decision to back Harvard President Gay in a statement, the Harvard Crimson reported, citing an unidentified source familiar with the decision.
The letter of Israeli alumni continued to express a deep sense of betrayal and disillusionment, as the authors state, "Hurt and humiliated, we no longer share a sense of pride in being alumni of Harvard University."
They also expressed their reluctance to recommend Harvard to potential students, citing a decline in moral standards that now overshadow the university's academic reputation.
The authors invoke the famous words of Martin Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor who opposed the Nazi regime, to illustrate the dangers of apathy and silence in the face of injustice.
The letter concludes with a call to action, urging Harvard University to declare a zero-tolerance stance toward antisemitism and to establish a clear boundary for acceptable conduct. The signatories, now holding significant positions in various prestigious institutions, shared that they hope that Harvard will choose to align itself against the currents of hatred.
A month ago, the Harvard Club of Israel published a letter denouncing the 34 student groups that blamed Israel for violence engulfing the region. The letter further called on Harvard President Claudine Gay to condemn statements that blame victims of terror for the atrocities committed against them.
“Just one day after thousands of Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli sovereign territory and massacred families in their homes, slaughtered hundreds of young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women and children, over 30 Harvard student groups published a statement condoning these atrocities and admonishing Israelis for having brought this on themselves,” the letter begins.
“We, the Harvard Club of Israel, expect better. The barbaric acts that Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, has perpetrated against the Israeli civilian population are despicable war crimes,” continues the letter.