Ivy League presidents testified before Congress about the surge of antisemitism on their campuses, prompting outrage from Jewish students, one of whom called for the removal of Harvard President Claudine Gay.
Some students and representatives expressed concerns over university leaders’ responses to rising antisemitism, particularly regarding calls for the genocide of Jews.
Students and representatives criticized the lack of condemnation and appropriate action. (Trending: Hunter Biden Indicted on 9 New Criminal Charges)
“This was a softball question of ‘do you condemn the rising rhetoric and violence against Jewish students?’ And none of them would condemn it,” Harvard graduate student Shabbos Kestenbaum said.
“If Claudine Gay had a heart, she would resign, and if the Harvard Board of Trustees had a brain, they would fire her.”
“She’s an absolute disgrace to this university,” he added.
“She has let down Jewish students repeatedly, and Harvard is simply not a safe place for Jewish students anymore. There is a moral rot at the center of all of these Ivy League universities.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik questioned Harvard president Claudine Gay on the university’s discipline for students pushing for “Intifada.”
“So the answer is yes, that calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard Code of Conduct?” Stefanik pressed.
“It depends on the context,” Gay said.
“It does not depend on the context,” Stefanik said.
“The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign. These are unacceptable answers across the board.”
“I will never vote for them again,” Kestenbaum said of those on the Left.
“They have totally betrayed the Jewish people. They have shown that sloganeering, that caving into a mob is significantly more important than Jewish lives. As my last name, Kestenbaum signifies.”
“My family’s originally from Germany. They survived Kristallnacht. They know exactly how the Holocaust happened,” he continued.
“It happened with the words. That’s how it first started, and we are seeing that those words and violent rhetoric and we are seeing the total moral abdication of universities, those who are supposed to be the arbiters of morality and values in our society betray us.”
“Given students’ rights to privacy and our obligations under FERPA, I will not say more about any specific cases other than to reiterate that processes are ongoing,” Gay said.
“Whether it’s the Democratic Party, whether it’s Harvard University or whether it’s our progressive friends or those who we thought we were friends, Jewish people are sick and tired of being pushed aside, of being thought of as less than, and we’re simply not going to take it anymore,” Kestenbaum said.
“We’re angry and we’re done.”
The testimony and responses have raised significant concerns about the handling of antisemitism in academic institutions.
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