A Harvard rabbi has launched a blistering attack on the Ivy League university, warning that anti-Semitic students will face no consequences for their actions.
Rabbi David Wolpe, a visiting professor at its theology school who was asked by its embattled president, Claudine Gay, to advise it on anti-Semitism, told The Post that Jewish and pro-Israel students are the target of a “deliberate attempt” to bullying on campus.
And he said he had felt forced to leave Gay’s high-profile panel on anti-Semitism because Harvard was treating a crisis for Jewish students as “a bureaucratic error.”
Harvard has been rocked by anti-Semitic protests on campus since Hamas terrorists massacred up to 1,200 Israelis on October 7, and then plunged into further crisis over Gay’s handling of the situation.
She was forced to apologize for disastrous testimony before Congress earlier this month, which also cost the president of the University of Pennsylvania her job.
Harvard President Claudine Gay has come under fire from one of the university’s most prominent rabbis who resigned from the anti-Semitism panel she created over its lack of action. REUTERS
Wolpe resigned from the anti-Semitism panel after Gay’s appearance before Congress and told The Post that he was dismayed that Gay did not say that students who called for the genocide of the Jewish people would be disciplined.
“I wanted to tear my hair out,” Wolpe told The Post. “At that moment I felt that the crisis had to be addressed.
“I saw it as an urgent crisis. They spoke as if it were a bureaucratic problem that needed to be corrected. There was no sense of urgency, no anger, no disgust.”
Rabbi David Wolpe, a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, was asked to advise the university on how to address anti-Semitism after the October 7 terrorist attacks. He also advised Hollywood bosses after the massacres. Getty Images Wolpe said he wanted to see public consequences for students who used anti-Semitic attacks in protests against Israel, such as calling it an “apartheid state” or comparing Jews to Nazis. Harvard Palestinian Solidarity Committee
Her attack increases pressure on Gay, who has also been accused of plagiarism in her academic work. The Post revealed how the university covered up a weeks-long investigation into whether she used other researchers’ work without credit and hired a law firm to help in the cover-up.
Wolpe, 65, a visiting professor at Harvard, has been called “America’s most influential rabbi” and was a longtime leader of Temple Sinai in Los Angeles (he retired in June) and inaugural rabbinical member of the Anti-Defamation League. . .
He was one of nine members of the Harvard Antisemitism Advisory Group, convened by Gay in October and made up of what she called “trusted voices,” from faculty, alumni, students, and leaders of the Harvard Jewish community.
Harvard students held several pro-Palestinian demonstrations following Hamas attacks on Israel, creating a tense environment for Jewish students and other members of the Harvard community. AFP via Getty Images
It includes former Harvard Law School dean Martha Minow and author and former Harvard professor Dara Horn, who wrote the 2021 essay collection “People Love Dead Jews.”
Wolpe told The Post that he has great admiration for his fellow former panelists, saying, “I still talk to everyone.”
He had urged Harvard University to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, but felt the school had “no sense of urgency.”
Anti-Israel protesters tore down signs highlighting the plight of Israelis who were taken hostage by Hamas and placed near Harvard. REUTERS
The Berlin-based group works with governments around the world to promote Holocaust education and defines anti-Semitism to include “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “holding Jews collectively responsible.” by the actions of the State of Israel.” Israel.”
Anti-Israel demonstrations at Harvard included a man in a Palestinian keffiyeh calling Jews “Nazis” and “pigs” days after the Oct. 7 attack, and students repeatedly waving signs calling Israel an “apartheid state.”
Adopting the proposal would have put pressure on Harvard to discipline students who participated in anti-Israel demonstrations.
Martha Minow, former dean of Harvard Law School, was appointed to the Anti-Semitism Advisory Group by the school’s president after the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. TNS
Harvard has not adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and a school spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
“I wanted a public disciplinary process for those who violate Harvard rules and I have not seen any consequences,” Wolpe said.
“There are so many incidents of anti-Semitism. There is a climate of intimidation. This is not about freedom of expression. “It is a deliberate attempt to scare Jewish and pro-Israel students.”
Author Dara Horn is a member of the Harvard Antisemitism Advisory Group. Dara Horn.com
Harvard is being investigated for its handling of anti-Semitism by the Department of Education under Title VI, a law that prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin at an institution that receives federal funds.
Wolpe said he was not surprised that Ivy League presidents sought legal advice for their congressional appearances from WilmerHale, a prominent law firm whose attorneys charge more than $1,500 an hour.
“Sometimes you have to set aside principles and do the right thing,” Wolpe said. “These are the best institutions in the country. Where is your fury?
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Source: vtt.edu.vn