On 5th December (local time), the first hearing on “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism” occurred in Washington, DC. During the hearing, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik confronted the Presidents of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn over the issue of rising cases of antisemitism on their campuses. During the hearing, Harvard University President Claudine Gay, MIT University President Sally Kornbluth, and UPenn President Elizabeth Magill refused to condemn the calls for the genocide of Jews on their respective campuses as bullying and harassment based on their respective code of conduct.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Stefanik called for the resignation of all three Presidents of the Universities. She wrote, “Presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn REFUSE to say whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” is bullying and harassment according to their codes of conduct. Even going so far to say it needs to turn to “action” first. As in committing genocide. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND ANTISEMITIC. They must all resign immediately today.”
🚨🚨🚨Presidents of @Harvard @MIT and @Penn REFUSE to say whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” is bullying and harassment according to their codes of conduct. Even going so far to say it needs to turn to “action” first. As in committing genocide.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) December 5, 2023
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND… pic.twitter.com/hUY3SgoOOi
During the questioning, Stefanik repeatedly urged the university presidents to give a straightforward answer “yes” or “no” on whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the University’s codes of conduct regarding bullying and harassment. In response, the university leaders expressed reluctance and ambiguity in giving a straightforward answer.
In her reply, MIT President Kornbluth claimed that calling for the genocide of Jews would be considered harassment only if it leads to the targeting of individuals. On the other hand, President Magill of UPenn asserted it would depend on the context and could be considered harassment only if “it became conduct”. Harvard President Gay echoed a similar sentiment and emphasised that the answer would depend on the context and whether the call for genocide crossed into actionable conduct, which means if the genocide actually happens.
The shocking response from the three Presidents startled Stefanik, who expressed frustration over the lack of clarity and consistency in the responses. She accused the three Presidents of providing unacceptable and dehumanising answers and emphasized the gravity of the issue concerning antisemitism. She called for a decisive response from the Presidents and criticised them for failing to denounce the call for genocide against Jews categorically.
Stefanik had heated arguments with all three Presidents and insisted that the answer should have been “straightforward yes”. She concluded by stating that the response from the university leaders was unacceptable across the board. Stefanik emphasised that the lack of action in addressing antisemitism on campuses was a serious matter.
Israel-Hamas war and anti-Jew protests
On 7th October 2023, Hamas terrorists launched a massive terror attack on Israel, leading to the death of at least 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals. Following the attack, Israel launched a counter-attack on Hamas to wipe out the terror outfit from the face of the Earth. Initially, Israel hit Hamas locations in Gaza via air strikes. Later, a ground attack by Israeli forces was started to eliminate Hamas terrorists. Hamas is known for using civilians as human shields. When the Palestinians tried to flee the Gaza Strip after IDF urged them to evacuate to save themselves from Israeli air strikes, Hamas reportedly forcefully stopped the civilians. Furthermore, they established underground bunkers across the Gaza Strip, especially under hospitals and schools, as a countermeasure against Israeli forces, as they knew Israel would hesitate in attacking such establishments. The Israel-Hamas war has entered its 60th day on 6th December 2023.
Notably, Harvard student associations released a joint statement in support of Palestine whitewashing the crimes committed by Hamas. They faced serious backlash, and Jewish billionaires who were funding these Universities or recruiting their students announced to cut off ties. Several student organisations pulled back from the statement following the backlash.
