A recent report reveals that Harvard, once a symbol of intellectual openness, is now a breeding ground for anti-Israel and antisemitic views.
Last week, Harvard University released the report of a task force established to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel bias within the institution. It is important to emphasize that this document was produced by the university itself, not by the Trump administration or an outside Jewish organization. At over 300 pages, the report presents a shocking indictment of what is occurring at the world’s most prestigious academic institution.
Harvard is the breeding ground for future leadership in the United States, and therefore, the significant shadow cast upon it is noteworthy in itself. However, the report not only sheds light on the institution but also raises the shocking possibility that the modern strain of antisemitism, as virulent as its predecessors, could become normalized even in the United States.
I studied for my master’s and doctoral degrees at Harvard in the 1980s. I never felt uncomfortable because of my Jewish or Israeli identity. Despite wearing a kippah, I never encountered a discriminatory or exclusionary incident. No one distanced themselves from me because of my identity or opinions. During the festival of Sukkot, my wife and friends erected a sukkah in Harvard Yard, and everyone, Jews and non-Jews alike, squeezed into it. During the High Holy Days, the synagogue was too small to accommodate the crowd, so prayers were moved to campus lecture halls (and even the local church). On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, there were no classes at the Law School. As a Jew, I felt “at home” at Harvard.
But according to the report, since the 2000s, an atmosphere of hostility against Israelis, Jews, and anyone expressing sympathy for Israel (even if they are not Jewish) has blighted the campus. Even Arab-Muslim citizens of Israel face hostility because they are Israeli.
Harvard’s complexion changed long before the Hamas attack. Through a well-planned, patient, and sophisticated operation, our enemies succeeded in executing an ideological transformation at the mecca of the West.
The fruits were reaped a few days after October 7, when 33 student organizations at Harvard determined that Israel itself was responsible for the Hamas attack. A world turned upside-down. The report places a polished mirror before the institution’s leaders – it reflects a colossal educational failure. The university’s values, as articulated in its own documents, include a commitment to respecting diversity, intellectual integrity, building bridges between identity groups, and ensuring a pluralistic environment.
These values are supposed to be a beacon for Harvard’s 2,400 faculty members and 25,000 students. To promote these values, the endowment fund of the world’s richest university has amassed over 50 billion dollars. However, the report paints a different picture, asserting that Harvard students are unable to cope with different, sometimes contradictory narratives, are unprepared to digest historical complexities, fail to engage in open debate, and are far from having a pluralistic understanding of reality. In my estimation, and this is not stated in the report, parts of the university, which purport to shape the worldview of liberalism in the West, betray basic liberal values when it comes to Jews and Israel.
According to the report, this hostile takeover of the marketplace of ideas at Harvard is deeply damaging to the intellectual quality of the institution.
Lecturers, courses, and entire programs are engaged in spreading lies under the guise of science. They do not recognize the historical connection between Jews and the Land of Israel. They assert that Israel is not a state but a “settler colony” of Europeans who stole land from the indigenous population. They even refuse to acknowledge the existence of antisemitism in human history and do not recognize the fact that Jews were a persecuted minority for much of it.
At Harvard, facts are twisted, distorted, or denied entirely in the service of an anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda. The result: 73% of Harvard’s Jewish students feel uncomfortable expressing their political opinions; 60% feel discriminated against or have been met with hostility due to their views; 44% feel mentally unsafe, and 26% even feel physically unsafe.
NATURALLY, THE report focuses on the negative aspects.
Alongside them, of course, there is also another Harvard. Evidence of this is that the university president, who replaced his woefully inadequate predecessor after her abject failure in a televised congressional hearing, is Jewish. And, of course, the very publication of the report reveals moral clarity and a courage of mind. It exudes a spirit of unflinching introspection and a genuine embrace of self-correction.
Antisemitism is indeed rearing its head, but the fight against it could garner widespread support. The fight against antisemitism is being led by Jews worldwide, along with many non-Jewish allies. Beyond that, it is worth thinking about the role the State of Israel should take in it. It does not have to lead the fight but should take part in contexts where it has a relative advantage. It is committed to this in the Basic Law of Israel – the Nation-State of the Jewish People, and it must honor this commitment.
Red lights are flashing in Boston. Jerusalem, awaken.