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Harvard’s new interim president has said he is worried about ‘pernicious’ anti-Semitism on campus, telling the student newspaper he worried about the impact of ‘social shunning.’
Alan Garber took over after Claudine Gay resigned on January 2, amid a spiraling row about anti-Semitism.
Gay, the first black person to lead the university, was criticized for her insipid response to students justifying the October 7 terror attacks, and seriously harmed her credibility when she testified before Congress and equivocated over whether calling for the genocide of Jews was considered hate speech at the University. She finally resigned amid mounting accusations plagiarism.
Garber, who has served as provost for 12 years under three successive presidents, took over until a permanent president can be found: the process involves a global search, and usually takes a minimum of six months.
Alan Garber has taken over as interim president of Harvard, until a permanent replacement can be found. His predecessor Claudine Gay resigned on January 2
Claudine Gay resigned in January after being accused of plagiarism. It came out after her congressional testimony that was universally admonished
In his first interview, Garber said that addressing anti-Semitism at the institution was a priority.
Earlier this month, six Jewish students launched legal action against the school, claiming it has become a ‘bastion of antisemitism and hatred’ and saying they have been bullied since Gay resigned.
Garber, who is Jewish, said that he was deeply concerned about continued allegations of anti-Semitism.
‘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 that a ‘prominent manifestation’ of anti-Semitism is ‘social shunning.’
‘You can’t necessarily just apply techniques of preventing violence or vandalism,’ he said. ‘It’s a different set of issues.’
The students say Harvard has suffered from anti-Semitism for years, but that the events following the Hamas October 7 attack made it a more ‘severe’ issue
Protesters at Harvard are seen on October 14, calling for an end to ‘apartheid’ and ‘genocide’ in Gaza
He told The Harvard Crimson he ‘strongly favors free speech,’ but added that there ‘needs to be a discussion about what are the limits.’
He added: ‘Can antisemitic attacks take the form of attacks against Israel? The answer is yes, that is possible.’
On January 19, the university leadership sent an email to students and staff saying that protests in libraries, dining halls, residences, and classrooms without prior reservations were considered violations of University policy.
Outdoor protests could still go ahead, as long as they do not block pedestrian walkways or interfere with the University’s operations.
Garber has set up new task forces to combat both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, with a history professor, Derek Penslar, leading the anti-Semitism inquiry.
Former Harvard President Larry Summers has criticized Penslar for saying that reports of anti-Semitism were exaggerated, but Garber said that he had full confidence in Penslar.
‘I think Derek would agree with me that we have a very serious problem,’ he said.
‘One of the most important goals for the task force is to come up with interventions that will effectively deal with the problem we’re facing today.’
The lawsuit, filed in early January by student Alexander Kestenbaum and five unnamed others from Students Against Antisemitism, describes how Gay’s student supporters bullied them and other Jewish students after her resignation.
In internal chat rooms, Jewish students were labeled ‘pedo loving Zionists’, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed by student Alexander Kestenbaum (pictured) and five unnamed others from Students Against Antisemitism, describes how Gay’s student supporters bullied them and other Jewish kids after her resignation.
Some pro-Palestine students said they also supported Hamas’ attack and considered it a ‘moment of decolonization.’
The students say the issue existed before Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, but became more ‘severe’ afterwards.
They are now asking for students who have threatened them to be expelled, and for anti-Israel professors to be fired.
They single out Professor Marshall Glanz who, they claim, told them they could not refer to Israel as a ‘democracy’ in a class project because it would ‘offend other students’.
‘Mobs of pro-Hamas students and faculty have marched by the hundreds through Harvard’s campus, shouting vile antisemitic slogans and calling for death to Jews and Israel,’ the lawsuit states.
The students are calling for Professor Marshall Ganz to be fired. They say he stopped them from referring to Israel as a ‘democracy’ during a project
‘Those mobs have occupied buildings, classrooms, libraries, student lounges, plazas, and study halls, often for days or weeks at a time, promoting violence against Jews and harassing and assaulting them on campus.
‘Jewish students have been attacked on social media, and Harvard faculty members have promulgated antisemitism in their courses and dismissed and intimidated students who object.
‘What is most striking about all of this is Harvard’s abject failure and refusal to lift a finger to stop and deter this outrageous antisemitic conduct and penalize the students and faculty who perpetrate it,’ their attorneys said in their 79-page complaint.
The university’s lawyers have not yet responded to the legal complaint.
