With the Israeli war against Hamas well into its second month of fighting, American Ivy League institutions have been pressured to answer for alleged incidents of antisemitism on their campuses. A congressional hearing with representatives of Ivy League schools put the universities in a jam against House Republicans.
US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) sat across from representatives from the esteemed Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania and MIT where she asked if calling for the genocide of Jewish people "violate [your university’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying or harassment?"
The presidents of @Harvard, @MIT, and @Penn were all asked the following question under oath at today’s congressional hearing on antisemitism:
Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [your university’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying or harassment?
The… pic.twitter.com/eVlPCHMcVZ
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 5, 2023
Stefanik went one by one with each guest, pressing for an answer. She hammered for a yes or no, when MIT's Dr. Sally Kornbluth stated, "I have not heard calling for the genocide of Jews on campus." Dr. Kornbluth continued, "I've heard chants, which can be antisemitic depending on the context when calling for the elimination of the Jewish people.
Ms. Liz Magill responded, "If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes. If it directive, pervasive and severe, then yes it is harassment." Stefanik continued to press for a yes or no to which she responded that context matters.
Stefanik proceeded to call the question the "easiest question to answer yes to." Stefanik said she would give Magill "one more" chance to answer the question, to which she doubled down on her previous answer.
Dr. Gay simply backed up her colleagues, claiming "it depends on the context."
Jewish-American Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) recently asserted on social media that Ivy League colleges "continue to fail" Americans with their remarks on the colleges' position on this issue.
"WTF 'Calling for the Genocide of Jews depends on the context.' Nazis are welcome at Harvard because they have a “wide berth” of expression. Just when you thought they couldn’t make it worse. For the Ivy League they, continue to fail," stated Moskowitz.
