Harvard University is being criticized for the preliminary recommendations of its antisemitism task force, which were released Monday alongside recommendations from a task force on Anti-Muslim bias, creating what critics call a “false equivalence.”
The task forces were established after a pattern of pervasive antisemitism on campus became clear in the aftermath of the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas against Israel. Student groups blamed Israel for the terror; pro-Palestinian activists set up an “encampment” that disrupted student life and intimidated Jewish students; and faculty and staff, including former president Claudine Gay, either acted too slowly or actually endorsed antisemitic rhetoric on campus.
After the two reports were released, with the report on “anti-Muslim and anti-Arab” bias clearly intended to appease those who claim that antisemitism is used to deflect criticism of Israel, critics repeated their dissatisfaction with the university administration.
Harvard Chabad issued a statement declaring that the fact that the university had failed “to understand the severity of what is happening at Harvard and in the world at this moment,” and had suggested that “there’s an inability to focus on antisemitism without making false equivalencies.”
The antisemitism task force was plagued from the start by accusations of anti-Israel bias against its chairman, and it also suffered the resignation of several members. Its preliminary report acknowledges pervasive bias across campus against pro-Israel students in general and against Israeli students in particular.
The task force also says that many students “believe that extracurricular student life is now characterized by political litmus tests [i.e. against Israel] that make it impossible for some students to participate in activities because of political views unrelated to the activity.”
The committee recommends that diversity, equity, and inclusion training include training on anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish prejudice, and that the campus host contentious dialogues to show students how to disagree respectfully.
The report of the task force on “Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab” bias indulges a sense of grievance among the primary perpetrators of antisemitism on campus that their concerns about the Palestinian cause are not being listened to, that there is not enough room for free speech opposing Israel, and that there are not enough courses on the topic. It recommends that the university clarify its policies against “doxxing” — i.e. publicizing the names of students who engage in radical protest — and that it devote more and better space on campus for use in Islamic prayers.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
