New Harvard interim president vows to tackle ‘Pernicious’ anti-Semitism on campus
Harvard University Interim University President Alan Garber said he would tackle "pernicious” anti-Semitism on campus during an interview with the school's newspaper.
Harvard University Interim University President Alan Garber vowed to tackle “pernicious” anti-Semitism on campus during an interview with the school’s newspaper.
Garber made the comments during an interview with the Harvard Crimson, and specifically called out what he calls a climate of self-censorship regarding Israel.
“What I have found the most disturbing of all are situations or experiences students describe where they have felt they could not speak in class because there are attacks on Israel or maybe Israelis,” Garber said. “They feel unsupported in contradicting them.”
Garber said he wouldn’t consider implementing a speech code and “strongly favors free speech,” adding that there “needs to be a discussion about what are the limits.”
He said that a “prominent manifestation” for Harvard’s anti-Semitism task force will be to address “social shunning.”
“You can’t necessarily just apply techniques of preventing violence or vandalism,” Garber said. “It’s a different set of issues.”
The newly-appointed interim president at the Cambridge, Massachusetts institution also said that anti-Semitic attacks can come through attacks against Israel.
“Can antisemitic attacks take the form of attacks against Israel?” Garber asked. “The answer is yes, that is possible.”
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Garber also addressed a congressional investigation that’s being led by Rep. Dr. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who chairs the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Foxx said she might issue Harvard a subpoena after it failed to give documents it requested on how the institution is responding to campus anti-Semitism.
Garber said Harvard University would “comply fully with the process” of the congressional investigation.
