Emails show how Harvard administrators avoided condemning anti-Semitic Oct. 7 statement by student groups
Harvard administrators considered condemning a controversial student statement that blamed Israel for violence following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack but chose not to include such a condemnation in their official response.
New emails released in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s recent report show that Harvard University administrators considered condemning an anti-Semitic statement made by students, but ultimately agreed not to mention it in the school’s official statement.
As The Harvard Crimson reported, more than 30 Harvard student groups and organizations co-signed a statement in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel asserting that the Jewish state was “entirely responsible” for “all the unfolding violence.”
Yet, despite deliberating about whether or not to explicitly condemn the statement, Harvard administrators ultimately decided to leave it out of their official declaration on the matter.
Public reaction to the student groups’ anti-Zionist joint statement was strongly negative, as former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers condemned the statement (and the university’s lack of response) on social media.
“The silence from Harvard’s leadership, so far, coupled with a vocal and widely reported student groups’ statement blaming Israel solely, has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel,” Summers posted to X on Oct. 9.
“Harvard is being defined by the morally unconscionable statement apparently coming from two dozen student groups blaming all the violence on Israel,” Summers continued. “I am sickened. I cannot fathom the Administration’s failure to disassociate the University and condemn this statement.”
Following a series of controversial statements about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Harvard University decided to adopt a policy of institutional neutrality in May, meaning the administration will refrain from making statements about hot-button political issues.
The Harvard Institutional Voice Working Group, which was commissioned in April, made the recommendation that the administration avoid issuing “official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function.”
“Harvard is steadfast in our efforts to create a safe, inclusive environment where students can pursue their academic and personal interests free from harassment and discrimination,” a Harvard spokesperson told Campus Reform via email. “Antisemitism has no place on our campus, and across the university we have intensified our efforts to listen to, learn from, support, and uplift our Jewish community, affirming their vital place at Harvard.”
“At the same time, the university has taken steps to strengthen and clarify rules for use of campus spaces and disciplinary policies and procedures, as well as engage our community around civil dialogue to bridge divides,” the spokesperson continued. “This work is ongoing, and Harvard is fully committed to it and confident we are moving in the right direction.”
