Leader of New Harvard Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism Called Israel ‘Apartheid Regime’

Simultaneously, Mr. Garber also announced a task force to address ‘Islamophobia.’

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 08: A view of the campus of Harvard University on July 08, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have sued the Trump administration for its decision to strip international college students of their visas if all of their courses are held online. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The newly appointed leader of Harvard University’s new anti-Semitism task force has been found to have previously called Israel an “apartheid regime.”

Following the recent departure of former Harvard president Claudine Gay, who stirred controversy with questionable comments about anti-Semitism, interim Harvard president Alan Garber appointed Derek Penslar to lead the task force. Mr. Penslar, a professor of Jewish history, defended Ms. Gay after she received backlash for her unwillingness to acknowledge that calling for the genocide of Jews constitutes bullying or harassment.