Harvard President Faces Backlash for Her Testimony on Anti-Semitism on Campus

Harvard Jewish organization says testimony fails to reassure them that the university is seriously concerned about antisemitic rhetoric pervasive on campus.

Supporters of Palestine gather in Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Mass., on Oct. 14, 2023, a week after Hamas terrorists conducted the deadliest attack in Israeli history. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

A Harvard Jewish student organization has criticized Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, for her testimony over anti-Semitism on campus following her hearing before Congress on Dec. 5. 

“When pressed during her testimony, President Gay repeatedly equivocated, refusing to characterize calls for the genocide of Jews as a breach of Harvard’s code of conduct, instead saying the offense ‘depends on the context,’” the Jewish student association Harvard Hillel said in its statement.