Dozens of Republican Congress members signed letters on Nov. 1 accusing five Ivy League universities of having condoned or failed to properly condemn antisemitism on campus.<\/p>\n
Rep. Ralph Norman and 26 other GOP legislators inveighed<\/a> against \u201cthe rise in antisemitic statements and pro-Hamas protests\u201d at the five elite universities, expressing \u201cprofound disappointment in administrators for their half-hearted, hypocritical, or absent responses.\u201d<\/p>\n The letters were addressed to the presidents of Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Cornell University, and the University of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Each of the five letters noted \u201cthe shocking lack of a prompt and unequivocal condemnation\u201d from university administrators regarding Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.<\/p>\n The legislators questioned the universities\u2019 moral compass and their commitment against terrorism and violence, adding that \u201csilence in this case is resounding applause for the acceptance of evil.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the letters, the five universities failed to denounce the terrorism against Israeli civilians until several days later in the face of mounting pressure, despite promptly and unequivocally condemning \u201cless egregious actions without any hesitation\u201d in the past.<\/p>\n The lawmakers then described recent antisemitic activities on each of the five campuses.<\/p>\n The letter<\/a> to Harvard noted a joint letter signed<\/a> by more than 30 Harvard student organizations, which called the Israeli government an \u201capartheid regime\u201d and claimed to hold Israel \u201centirely responsible for all unfolding violence\u201d after the Hamas invasion.<\/p>\n The controversial letter and Harvard\u2019s initial lack of condemnation of it prompted a revolt<\/a> among the university\u2019s wealthy donors, many of whom have decided to halt their donations.<\/p>\n The University of Pennsylvania faced a similar donor revolt<\/a> after hosting on campus the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which Jewish groups said had speakers with a history of spewing antisemitic remarks.<\/p>\n In their letter<\/a> to the Philadelphia-based school, the lawmakers said that its approval of the festival is \u201cnot only dangerous but shows a severe lack of judgment, which calls into question the leadership and values of your institution.\u201d<\/p>\n Addressing Yale, the legislators mentioned<\/a> its Professor Zareena Grewal, who referred to Israel as \u201ca murderous, genocidal settler state\u201d and encouraged armed attacks targeting Israelis.<\/p>\n Similarly, Cornell Professor Russell Rickford described<\/a> Hamas\u2019 slaughter and kidnapping of Israeli civilians as \u201cenergizing\u201d and \u201cexhilarating.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislators denounced<\/a> Cornell\u2019s refusal to fire the professor, who they said was \u201cendorsing\u201d and \u201cgleefully celebrating\u201d violence and terror.<\/p>\n The letter<\/a> to Columbia addressed the hate crime assault against an Israeli student, the pro-Palestine protests on campus, and the school\u2019s tenured Professor Joseph Massad describing the Hamas invasion of Israel as \u201cawesome\u201d and a \u201cstunning victory.\u201d<\/p>\n A day before sending out the five letters, Rep. Ralph Norman said<\/a>, \u201cThe delay in response by these universities [to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack] in conjunction with their outright support of these student organizations and professors sends a message of indifference and alienates part of their own student body.\u201d<\/p>\n The College Fix<\/em> reached out to the five universities\u2019 media relations teams regarding the letters, but has yet to receive a response.<\/p>\n Harvard President Claudine Gay, however, announced<\/a> on Nov. 9 that the university will \u201cimplement a robust program of education and training\u201d on antisemitism as well as a 24-hour hotline for anonymously voicing concerns.<\/p>\n