House Education Committee Releases Update on Its Antisemitism Probe. Harvard Responds.

The House Committee on Education & the Workforce last week released an update on its investigation, which showed “major flaws” in Harvard’s response to antisemitic incidents on campus. 

Documents obtained by the Committee show that the University never implemented recommendations from Harvard’s Antisemitism Advisory Group, which included a zero-tolerance policy for disruptions in the classroom, ensuring shared learning spaces are protected, requiring student groups to follow rules set forth by the University, reviewing the inadequate response from Harvard'd DEI office to antisemitism, among other recommendations. 

Other key findings include: 

• The AAG found there to be pervasive ostracization of Israeli students at Harvard.
• Harvard’s leaders failed to consult the AAG in advance of President Gay’s congressional testimony on antisemitism.
• The AAG’s members identified numerous issues of concern for action to Harvard’s leaders. These included: 
  • The need to share more information on disciplinary outcomes publicly.
  • The importance of condemning antisemitic rhetoric as antithetical to Harvard’s values.
  • The insufficiency of Harvard’s response to reports of antisemitic incidents.
  • Concern regarding dramatic declines in Jewish enrollment at Harvard.
  • The need to examine terror financiers’ potential influence at Harvard.
  • The need to address masked protest on campus. (Committee on Education & the Workforce)

“The Committee’s report proves that former President Gay and Harvard’s leadership propped up the university’s Antisemitism Advisory Group all for show,” Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said in a statement. “Not only did the AAG find that antisemitism was a major issue on campus, it offered several recommendations on how to combat the problem—none of which were ever implemented with any real vigor. This shocking revelation reveals an inner look at how dysfunctional Harvard’s administration is and the deep-seated moral rot that clouds its judgement.”

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Harvard spokesman Jason Newton said the report was “disappointing" and gave an "incomplete and inaccurate view" of the university's efforts to address antisemitism on campus. 

“Across 17 submissions, including more than 30,000 pages of information, Harvard has continued to cooperate with the Committee’s inquiry and address their ongoing questions,” he told The Wall Street Journal in an email. “It is disappointing to see selective excerpts from internal documents, shared in good faith, released in this manner, offering an incomplete and inaccurate view of Harvard’s overall efforts to combat antisemitism last fall and in the months since.”