U.S. universities feel the heat over alleged anti-Semitism

After tense hearing, Harvard, MIT, and UPenn presidents face scrutiny for not combating anti-Semitism on campus.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, prestigious U.S. universities have come under fire, accused of not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism.

Asked to resign by lawmakers and donors after a tense hearing before Congress last week, Harvard President Claudine Gay escaped sanction when the institution’s governing body said it maintained confidence in her. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth also received the backing of her institution. But after intense lobbying, University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill was forced to resign.

The three leaders were summoned by a congressional commission whose stated aim was to “hold them to account” after “countless” anti-Semitic demonstrations. During the hearing, right-wing congresswoman Elise Stefanik likened calls by some students for an intifada to an exhortation for “genocide against Jews.”

When she asked if “calling for the genocide of the Jews violates Harvard’s harassment policy, yes or no?”, Ms. Gay replied “it can, depending on the context,” before adding “if it’s directed against a person.” The leaders’ responses provoked an outcry, but some experts and academics say the trio had a point.

Harvard political science professor Ryan Enos believes “conservatives want to shut down free speech on campuses.” “They have already succeeded to some extent in silencing pro-Palestinian voices,” he said.