Jew Hatred at Harvard. It is not a Question of Protected Free Speech or Academic Freedom

One of my long-time Harvard classmates and friends posted a piece on our Harvard Class of '74 Facebook page, criticizing the Trump Administration for cancelling $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University for failing to protect Columbia University Jewish students. My friend also inquired what should be Harvard’s response if its federal funding was cancelled.

In the spirit of discussion, I believe we disagree on a few fundamental points

Here is my reply.

Dan, thank you for raising in this free-flowing forum, the topic of how and what Harvard should do in reaction to the Trump government cancelling $400 million in federal government funding to Columbia University for its failure to properly protect Jewish students at Columbia.

I was very interested in your post and the several classmates who liked it.

I admire and respect you and the fellow classmates who supported the content of your post.

I have thought long and hard on how to respond.

This may be a cop out, but after all these years, it is very unlikely that we will persuade each other on this matter. As a result, let us respectfully agree to disagree.

In the spirit of discussion, I believe we disagree on a few fundamental points.

Based on your hypothetical on how we as Harvard students in the '70s would have reacted if Nixon withdrew federal funding to Harvard for campus anti-war protests, you and your group believe that what transpired at Harvard post October 7, 2023, was mere “peaceful” pro- Palestinian, anti-war protests which are protected free speech.

Let me call it, as I see it. This is simple Jew hatred

With great respect, I believe the facts, based on affidavit evidence of the Harvard Jewish students affected, a Biden DOJ investigation and Congressional investigations, that in fact Harvard Jewish students were physically and emotionally abused and interfered with in their dorm rooms, on the physical Harvard grounds, in the Harvard libraries and in class because they were Jewish, Zionist and/or support Israel. The fact is that Harvard Jewish students were also excluded from Harvard student groups and organizations if they supported or expressed Zionist views.

Let me call it, as I see it. This is simple Jew hatred.

The fact that Harvard, which includes the Harvard Corporation, the Harvard Administration, and the Harvard faculty failed to protect Jewish students from this physical and emotional abuse, intimidation and interference, makes Harvard liable and culpable.

The fact some of the above, the Harvard Corporation, Chairman Penny Pritzker, the Harvard Administration, President Alan Garber, and many Harvard faculty, (see Lawrence Summers and Steven Levitsky), are themselves Jewish, were either negligent, complicit, indifferent or in the case of some Harvard Jewish students, actively involved in Jew-hating actions- does not excuse, rationalize or minimize, that this actual Jew-hating conduct occurred and should be properly condemned and punished.

The fact is that the protection of Harvard students against racism, bigotry and discrimination Tump's protected free speech and so-called academic freedom.

I doubt anyone on this page or at Harvard or among the alumni would defend a Harvard student-run KKK/white supremacist encampment on the Harvard grounds, festooned with Confederate flags and fake nooses and signage advocating and celebrating the killing of all BIPOCs and Harvard BIPOC students, on the basis of protected free speech and academic freedom. (I use the word BIPOC as a euphemism for the actual hateful wording on such signage.)

Harvard should be liable for its negligent treatment of its Jewish students

Since October 7, 2023, Harvard, unlike its protection of Harvard‘s BIPOC students, has not protected Jewish students against Jew hatred at Harvard.

Since 97% of the Harvard Administration and faculty are liberal, left-wing Democrats, there is no real protected freedom of speech or academic freedom at Harvard, other than that which strictly follows the liberal narrative and ideology.

That ship of freedom of speech, academic freedom and the free inquiry of diverse views and perspectives at Harvard, sailed a long time ago.

As a result of the above, many of us in this class, as well as many Harvard alumni, and more importantly, the majority of Americans, believe that Harvard, as it presently exists, should be drastically reformed and rebuilt.

Harvard’s federal funding should be completely cut off. Its endowment taxed to the max. Its foreign funding from China, Qatar and other foreign nations should be cut off.

Harvard should be liable for its negligent treatment of its Jewish students.

Also, all Harvard student organizations, student members and faculty and staff of such organizations which supported the Hamas massacre of Oct 7, 2023, immediately subsequent to Oct 7, 2023, should be investigated for being active supporters, agents and promoters of a terrorist organization which killed many Americans.

(As I write this post, legal action has commenced in New York against the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and the Jewish Voices for Peace, on the basis of the above allegations. I suspect the Harvard Students for Justice for Palestine and its affiliates, will be sued and investigated as well, on the same basis.)

Even Harvard is not too big to fail and collapse.