Over 1,700 former students have threatened to stop giving to Harvard University unless it takes further action to address the antisemitism on campus in response to the university’s handling of the problem, CNN reported.
With more than 1700 Jewish alumni expected to abandon Harvard as the calls for an ‘Intifada’ become more urgent, the university is in danger.
On the Harvard University campus, the “Intifada” cries have grown louder, putting the school on the defensive. Alumni have been critical of management’s lack of action in addressing and combating antisemitism. Over thirty student organizations deemed the attacks on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of over one thousand Israeli citizens, to be “justified.” The Harvard College Jewish Alumni Association (HCJAA) has openly criticized the university for remaining silent in the face of this declaration.
“Intifadas” are uprisings by Palestinians against Israeli rule in the occupied territories. The Arabic term, which translates to “shaking off,” denotes a collective act of resistance and protest. Not too long ago, there were two major intifadas.
There were many acts of civil disobedience committed during the First Intifada, which started in 1987. These acts included protests, boycotts, and physical altercations with Israeli security forces. In most of these incidents, the young Palestinian participants were hurling Molotov cocktails and stones.
When the Second Intifada broke out in 2000, it became more violent, attacking Israeli targets with weapons and suicide bombs. The incitement of these uprisings, which had profound political, social, and humanitarian consequences throughout the region, came from long-standing grievances over Israeli occupation, settlement expansion, and Palestinian aspirations for self-determination.
The Jewish Alumni Association wrote the Harvard administration an open letter. “We stand shoulder to shoulder, indivisibly united, in our commitment to championing a democratic and pluralist university culture that has no tolerance for hateful and violent discourse and to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students on campus,” the letter’s passage says.
Following the attacks on Israel on October 7, the letter criticizes a letter sent by thirty Harvard student organizations endorsing Hamas, saying that “calls for more violence and the obliteration of the state of Israel “by any means necessary” have been matched by this deluded romanticization of violence.”
In an attempt to defend the horrifying intimidation and threats directed towards Jewish students on campus and to elevate ideas of violence and brutality that are inimical to democracy itself, the letter draws a distinction between Palestinian rights and the “crude language of “resistance.”
It is requested that the university provide evidence of its dedication to each and every student’s safety in this letter. Sending its “requests” on behalf of the Harvard Jewish Alumni Association, it concludes. Have a meeting with the leadership of the alumni association and put in place a plan right away to curb hate speech and limit the amount of disturbance that rallies can cause.
Accept the definition of antisemitism at the university as provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Establish a commission to look into the underlying reasons why antisemitism occurs on college campuses. The commission will investigate matters like prejudices against Jews and Israel in the curriculum of universities, the DEI framework, faculty training, and particular incidents.
Declare that the Harvard Jewish Alumni Association has gained official recognition as a university Special Interest Group (SIG). Encourage a diverse campus community that discourages violent speech and values moral reasoning, critical thinking, and constructive disagreement in order to prepare students for leadership roles in the future.
The letter peacefully concludes, “We shall champion the liberal values this university is supposed to uphold. We will protect students from antisemitic abuse by using all civil approaches available to us.” “We shall have broad support from the greater alumni community.”
