The Wexner Foundation, a prominent American Jewish fund, announced its decision to halt its longstanding relationship with the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), condemning the school’s perceived marginalization of Israeli students.
In an open letter addressed to Harvard’s Board of Overseers on Monday, the foundation said, “We have observed that this cherished tolerance for diverse perspectives has slowly but perceptibly narrowed over the years,” adding that the “Wexner Israel Fellows are increasingly marginalized, their voices and views even shouted down.”In the wake of the worst breach of Israel’s defenses since the Arab armies waged war on the Jewish state in 1973, caused by the Hamas terrorist movement from Gaza, a storm is brewing at Harvard University. The current tension traces its origin to a pro-Palestinian student letter, which triggered significant backlash among Harvard’s alumni community.
Stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians
On October 9, during a rally in front of City Hall in Toronto, a protester was captured in a photo taken by Reuters symbolizing the mounting global tension regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Amidst this backdrop, a coalition of 34 Harvard student organizations released a letter stating that they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” in light of decades of “occupation.” This coalition ranged from Muslim and Palestinian support groups to Harvard Jews for Liberation and the African American Resistance Organization. Reuters had yet to verify the exact number of students backing the letter.
In response, prominent Harvard University alumni on Monday denounced the pro-Palestinian stance, emphasized the anti-Israel bias, and urged the university to take action against the signatories.
The Wexner Foundation followed with its own letter, saying, “We are stunned and sickened at the dismal failure of Harvard’s leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists.” In the letter, the foundation terminated all its financial and programmatic relationships with Harvard and HKS, citing the institution’s failure to uphold values of diversity and inclusion for its Israeli students.The Wexner Israel Fellowship, established by the Foundation in 1989, provides an opportunity for select Israeli public sector leaders to pursue a Master in Public Administration degree at Harvard Kennedy School. Upon graduating, these mid-career professionals are required to serve in Israel’s public sector for a minimum of three years and become members of the Wexner Alumni community, thereby contributing to the enhancement of public leadership and management in Israel.
MAOZ: "Profound disappointment"
On Sunday, Jeffrey Swartz, chairman of MAOZ Israel, and Shimrit Bainhoren, CEO of MAOZ Israel, penned a letter to Professors Srikant M. Datar and Claudine Gaye of Harvard University, detailing the severe and horrifying attacks on Israel by Hamas.
They emphasized the scale and brutality of the violence, comparing the death toll to a hypothetical tenfold increase of the September 11 attacks on America. Highlighting their longstanding relationship with Harvard Business School through the MAOZ program, they expressed their profound disappointment in Harvard’s response to the situation. They criticized Harvard’s leadership for not taking a firmer stance against the atrocities and for failing to distance itself from the controversial statements made by its student organizations. They further urged Harvard to use its influential voice on the international stage to condemn the actions of Hamas and stand in solidarity with Israel.Though Maoz criticized Harvard, it did not sever ties with the school.
I commend the Wexner Foundation for cutting ties with Harvard’s @Kennedy_SchoolThe leadership of @Harvard have proven they have lost their moral compass. Not only do they allow Jew-hatred and pro-terror rhetoric to permeate their campus, but they cannot bring themselves to… pic.twitter.com/m4ZRzbWIjB
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 16, 2023
Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, reacted to this report on X. "I commend the Wexner Foundation for cutting ties with Harvard’s Kennedy School," he said. "The leadership of Harvard have proven they have lost their moral compass. Not only do they allow Jew-hatred and pro-terror rhetoric to permeate their campus, but they cannot bring themselves to immediately condemn terrorism.
"I call on every North American Jew and supporter of Israel to send this message to every university that behaves similarly. If your child’s university thinks twice before condemning the murder of innocents or allows a culture of hate to grow on campuses unhindered, then it cannot receive one more cent from any of you," Erdan concluded.