Anti-Semitism at Harvard

The largely unqualified Claudine Gay became president of Harvard University for reasons that had to do with diversity and inclusion. She continues to hold her post for the same reason. Apparently, the people who govern Harvard support her diversity agenda and do not care about her craven failure to denounce anti-Semitism before a Congressional committee. They have even been willing to ignore her mediocre scholarship and her repeated plagiarism. 

Now, the Harvard Corporation is about to learn a hard lesson. Their failure does not define reality. Just because they cannot bring themselves to fire a black female president, that does not mean that their actions do not have consequences.

Despite what our public intellectuals keep braying about, it is not all about power and control. The terms are grossly overused, generally obscuring the issues. In the case of Harvard, the university can choose to keep Claudine Gray, and we are within our rights to follow those who suggest that if she had an ounce of dignity she would have resigned.

As it happened, President Gay removed more than two dozen students for plagiarism. As Peter Wood points out, she has also insisted that students use woke pronouns. And yet, when it comes to her own academic dishonesty, documented by Christopher Rufo and Aaron Silbarium, crickets:

It has been noted that as dean at Harvard, Gay presided over the forced withdrawal of twenty-seven students for “academic dishonesty,” mostly plagiarism. It has also been noted that Gay has been a strong supporter of “mandatory training” of students to teach them to avoid “using wrong pronouns” and other hurtful language that is tantamount to “violence.” So, yes, words really do matter at Gay’s Harvard. But not all words. Context does matter, as in “It’s not plagiarism if President Gay does it.” And, “Threatening to kill Jews is not harassment unless you actually attempt it.” 

As President Gay stays in her job, the damage to Harvard’s reputation grows. In the end, whatever powers the faculty and the governing board has, reputation is another story. And, as Tyler Durden points out on the Zero Hedge blog, Harvard’s reputation is in serious decline. 

Harvard College is led by controversial president Claudine Gay, who has single-handedly done more damage to the school's reputation than anyone else in its nearly 500 years of existence. 

Gay's failure to tackle antisemitism on campus has been a major wake-up call for parents nationwide who aspire to send their children to the elite school. Parents quickly realize the school no longer prioritizes excellence through education but instead pushes toxic woke narratives and political indoctrination that is harmful to Western society. 

Fewer and fewer parents are willing to send their children to Harvard. In the matter of applications for early admission, Harvard received 17% fewer applications this year. Since the due date for such applications was November 1, the writing was on the wall before Gay’s disastrous Congressional testimony:

The college received 17% fewer applications for early admission from high school seniors this year. Applications this year for non-binding early admissions were 7,921 versus 9,553 last year. 

Applications were due Nov. 1, a little more than a month before Gay refused to answer US lawmakers on Capitol Hill if "calling for the genocide of Jews" is bullying and harassment in terms of the school's code of conduct. 

As for the presence of Jews on campus, you will not be surprised to learn that the diversity agenda has systematically reduced the Jews on campus.

Durden explains:

Just a few years ago Harvard College was 25-30% Jewish.

Today only 8% of Harvard undergrads are Jewish.

That number will clearly drop in the immediate future.

Things are so bad for Jewish students at Harvard that even the New York Times has noticed:

In interviews, many Jewish members of the Harvard community described their growing estrangement from campus. Protesters have disrupted lectures, shouting through bullhorns that the war in Gaza was a genocide. Antisemitic messages have been posted on social media. Some students have decided to check their Zionist beliefs in the classroom and in the residence hall. A few have traded in their kippas, or skullcaps, for baseball hats.

As we were reading this column we also ran across a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Alaska Senator and Harvard alumnus, Dan Sullivan. Last weekend Sullivan was in Boston for the Army-Navy game. He wanted to revisit Harvard, especially the famed Widener Library. 

You might have expected the scene in Claudine Gay’s Harvard, but still, it was shocking:

When I walked upstairs to the famous Widener Reading Room, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Nearly every student in the packed room was wearing a kaffiyeh. Fliers attached to their individual laptops, as well as affixed to some of the lamps in the reading room, read: “No Normalcy During Genocide—Justice for Palestine.” A young woman handed the fliers to all who entered. A large banner spread across one end of the room stated in blazing blood-red letters, “Stop the Genocide in Gaza.”

Is Harvard welcoming Jewish students? The question answers itself:

Imagine if you were an 18-year-old Jewish or Israeli student, or even a pro-Israel Catholic like me, and you wanted to study for your chemistry final in the Widener Reading Room on a Sunday morning. Imagine being confronted by this protest, obviously condoned by Harvard’s leadership and commandeered by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, the group behind the notorious statement that holds “the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack.

Is this anti-Semitism? Of course, it is. Sullivan raises the relevant question. Would Harvard allow such demonstrations denouncing other causes:

If students were handing out fliers and hanging large banners in the Widener Library Reading Room denouncing, say, affirmative action or NCAA rules allowing men to compete in women’s swim meets, Harvard leaders would shut them down in a minute. But an anti-Israel protest by an antisemitic group, commandeering the entire Widener Reading Room during finals? No problem.

Harvard’s reputation is damaged. One understands that the process has just begun. Diversity and inclusion are destroying one of America and the world’s great educational institutions.