A Republican-dominated Congressional committee released a scathing report Thursday on Harvard University's efforts to combat anti-Semitism on campus, finding that Jewish students experienced “pervasive ostracism” and discrimination. It accused the university of suppressing the Anti-Semitism Advisory Group's findings and avoiding implementing its recommendations. I was harassed.
Harvard University has been particularly criticized by the House Committee on Education and Labor, which produced a report that took an anti-elitist stance against some of America's top universities.
In a 42-page staff report, the committee focused on Harvard's eight-member Anti-Semitism Advisory Group and examples it cited of the university's shortcomings in combating anti-Semitism on campus. I guessed. The group was founded in response to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
“Harvard University's leadership propped up the school's Anti-Semitism Advisory Group for the sake of a pretense,” North Carolina Republican and House Committee Chair Virginia Foxx said in a statement released with the report. Stated. “AAG not only found that anti-Semitism is a major problem on campus, but also made several recommendations on how to combat it, none of which have been actively implemented in practice. I never did.”
In response, Harvard University said the advisory group helped lay the groundwork for continued efforts to combat anti-Semitism on campus. The group has since been disbanded and replaced by two units: one to combat anti-Semitism and one to combat anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice.
Harvard spokesman Jason Newton said the university is cooperating with the committee and has provided 30,000 pages of information.
“The publication of these excerpts from internal documents shared in good faith paints an incomplete and inaccurate picture of Harvard University’s overall efforts to combat anti-Semitism last fall and in the months that followed. It's unfortunate what happened,” Newton said.
Thursday's report marks the first time a House committee recently grilled university presidents during Congressional hearings on campus anti-Semitism, and the committee said it expects more reports to come. He said it would come. Claudine Gay, then president of Harvard University, was one of the first to testify in December, and her legalistic answers led to her resignation a month later.
The group's recommendations include holding student organizations accountable to university rules, countering anti-Semitic speech, and disclosing classes and programs that are reported to have anti-Semitic content, according to the report. It said it included reviewing the academic rigor of the program and investigating the potential influence of “dark money” from Iran, Qatar and India. Affiliates of known terrorist groups.
The committee also said several offices aimed at combating discrimination at Harvard, such as Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, were not actively addressing anti-Semitism at the university. .
The majority of members of the Anti-Semitism Advisory Group were so disillusioned with Harvard's lack of response to their work that they threatened to resign, according to the House report.
Much of the report's content comes from notes from an advisory group meeting prepared by Harvard University in response to a Feb. 16 subpoena and a transcript of the committee's interview with advisory group member Dara Horn. It is something that
Examples of anti-Semitism cited by the committee include a report that a Harvard student wearing a skull cap was spat on, and a series of electronic threats against Harvard Hillel from students and university officials. Emails, Israeli students being asked to leave class, etc. Because “some people may feel uncomfortable if you are here.''
However, many of the anecdotal examples in the report were vague, with no mention of names, dates, or corresponding police reports or other documents.
In a letter to Harvard's president and provost, five of the eight advisory board members, including Dr. Horne, said a lack of clarity about their mission was a serious problem, according to the report. said. “The five of us listed below consulted as a group and agreed that we are not in a position to continue our advocacy efforts unless Harvard University broadly reconsiders how it confronts the anti-Semitism crisis on campus.” The paper dated May 5th said. said the letter. Rabbi David Wolpe, one of the members of the advisory board, resigned on December 7th.
The House Education Committee has tremendous influence over the public image of the universities it invites to testify. But it's unclear how much legislative power they have to change the way universities do business.
Following Dr. Gay's testimony, Columbia University President Nemat Shafik testified in April and took a tougher stance against pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Her comments led to a crackdown on the camp at her school and a wave of student demonstrations at universities across the country, including Harvard University. Harvard's camp says it will grant clemency to protesters banned from campus and negotiate terms for donations in support of demands for withdrawal from Israel until protesters reach an agreement with the university. , lasted three weeks.
And on May 23, the presidents of Northwestern University, Rutgers University, and the University of California, Los Angeles, are scheduled to testify before the committee.
