Several Ivy League colleges created antisemitism task forces recently following a rise in antisemitic protests and sentiment on campuses across the U.S., according to multiple reports.
Students across the U.S. held rallies at Ivy League colleges in support of Palestinians, which included shouting violent anti-Israeli slogans and displaying vile imagery following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. Harvard University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) all created taskforces to address antisemitism on their campuses. (RELATED: Elite University Students Project Pro-Hamas Messages On Campus Building)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 12: Columbia students participate in a rally in support of Palestine at the university on October 12, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“Across the country and world, we are witnessing pernicious acts of antisemitism, including on college and university campuses. I am appalled by incidents on our own campus, and I’ve heard too many heartbreaking stories from those who are fearful for their safety right here at Penn. This is completely unacceptable. It wounds us at Penn even more acutely because of the history and vibrancy of Jewish life here,” Penn President Elizabeth Magill wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
“Our immediate action is the creation of a new University Task Force on Antisemitism,” Magill continued. Magill did not initially refer to Hamas as a terrorist organization until donor Jon Huntsman Jr. said his family would stop giving to the university due to her statements about the terrorist attacks on Israel. After the email she issued a more pointed statement condemning Hamas.
Harvard President Claudine Gay also faced backlash from donors for statements following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and for the school’s response to an anti-Israel letter signed by over 30 student organizations. The Wexner Foundation announced in a letter it would no longer be donating to Harvard following the university’s response to the Hamas attack.
“Antisemitism has a very long and shameful history at Harvard,” Gay said, according to the Harvard Crimson. “For years, this University has done too little to confront its continuing presence. No longer.”
“In the weeks ahead, these advisers will work with me, Provost Garber, and the school deans to frame an agenda and strategy for combating antisemitism at Harvard,” Gay said, according to the Crimson.
An Israeli student was assaulted at Columbia University on Oct. 8, who then said Columbia is “not a safe place” for Israelis anymore. More than 300 faculty members at Columbia and Barnard College signed an open letter Tuesday stating they’re “appalled by the spate of antisemitic incidents.”
The task force at Columbia will work on both short-term and long-term solutions and will “enhance support for all members of the Columbia, Barnard, and Teachers College communities, particularly our Jewish students,” according to the Columbia Spectator.
Multiple pro-Palestinian student groups put out statements blaming Israel for the terrorist attacks, including those at Harvard University, Columbia University and Yale University.
Columbia, Harvard and Penn did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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