Staff Reports
A recent debacle has taken the world by storm, as university presidents have found themselves embroiled in a controversy of epic proportions. The House Education and Workforce Committee, led by Republican Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, has taken the bold step of launching a formal investigation into Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The reason for this unprecedented action? The university presidents’ shocking failure to condemn calls for the “genocide of Jews” during a recent hearing on campus antisemitism.
Elite university presidents hit with backlash over 'unacceptable' remarks on 'genocide of Jews' https://t.co/a9jCGMpWat
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 7, 2023
During the hearing, Harvard President Claudine Gay, Penn President Liz Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth were unable to clearly denounce whether campus protests advocating for the “genocide of Jews” violated their institutions’ conduct codes. This distressing display of indecisiveness has sparked widespread outrage and demands for their immediate resignation.
Ms. Foxx minced no words in expressing her deep concerns about the university leaders’ failure to provide Jewish students with the safe learning environment they deserve. As a result, the Committee is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit of justice, including the utilization of compulsory measures such as subpoenas to ensure a full and transparent response from the universities.
The troubling hearing was a response to the recent wave of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests that have rattled college campuses following the attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians. Chants calling for the “globalization of the intifada” and the long life of the intifada, which refer to the violent overthrow of Israel, have become disturbingly common during these protests.
The uproar over the university presidents’ failure to unequivocally condemn such hateful rhetoric has transcended party lines. Calls for their resignations have been championed by prominent conservatives, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, former Trump official Richard Grenell, and influential figures like Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon and Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson. Surprisingly, even some Democrats, including Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, have joined the chorus of condemnation.
The universities’ attempts to quell the outrage have fallen short, with their statements being interpreted as feeble attempts to downplay the severity of the situation. Despite their efforts to provide context and backtrack on their testimony, the damage has already been done. Their inability to swiftly and unambiguously condemn calls for the “genocide of Jews” has led to an exodus of support, with even a Harvard alum withdrawing a $100 million pledge to the University of Pennsylvania.
Even the White House has weighed in on the controversy, with spokesperson Andrew Bates emphasizing the monstrous nature of calls for genocide and the need to stand against them. The shocking failure of the university presidents to take a stand against such abhorrent rhetoric has even prompted Jewish groups, including the Zionist Organization of America, to call for their immediate resignation or dismissal.
As the storm continues to brew, Ms. Foxx has issued a warning to other universities that similar failures will not go unnoticed and may lead to further investigations. The ticking time bomb of campus antisemitism shows no signs of abating, and the political fallout from this scandal is sure to reverberate across the nation.
