House lawmakers are demanding that three elite universities immediately boot their presidents for being “evasive and dismissive” when pushed to condemn antisemitism and calls on campus for the genocide of Jews.
The push for the dismissal of Harvard President Claudine Gay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill follows a fiery House hearing where the campus leaders struggled to condemn an increasing anti-Jewish environment on campuses.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Florida Democrat, wrote in a letter to the boards of the three universities that the explosion of antisemitism on their campuses was a “failure of university leadership.”
“Given this moment of crisis, we demand that your boards immediately remove each of these presidents from their positions and that you provide an actionable plan to ensure that Jewish and Israeli students, teachers, and faculty are safe on your campuses,” the lawmakers wrote.
They said that anything less than removing the presidents would be seen as an endorsement of their testimony to the House panel, and it would be “an act of complicity in their antisemitic posture.”
During the hearing before the Education and Workforce Committee, Mrs. Stefanik grilled the university presidents over whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” constituted bullying or harassment.
None of the presidents outright answered “yes.” Instead, they said it depended on the context or if action was taken. Mrs. Stefanik and Mr. Moskowitz, along with 72 members of Congress from both parties, wrote that there was “no context” in which advocating for the genocide of Jews was acceptable speech.
“Their failure to unequivocally condemn calls for the systematic murder of Jews is deeply alarming. It stands in stark contrast to the principles we expect leaders of top academic institutions to uphold,” the lawmakers said. “It is hard to imagine any Jewish or Israeli student, faculty, or staff feeling safe when presidents of your member institutions could not say that calls for the genocide of Jews would have clear consequences on your campus.”
The presidents have attempted to walk back or soften their testimony since the hearing on Tuesday. Ms. Gay apologized in Harvard’s student newspaper the Crimson, saying that “words matter.”
“When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret,” Ms. Gay said.
Meanwhile, major UPenn donors are using the power of their checkbooks to push for Ms. Magill’s resignation. The university’s prominent business school board, the Wharton Board of Advisors, has also called for her departure from the position.
Ms. Magill received heavy backlash for her response to Mrs. Stefanik’s question, saying that “if the speech becomes conduct, then it becomes harassment.”
“The world is watching,” the lawmakers said. “You can stand with your Jewish students and faculty, or you can choose the side of dangerous antisemitism.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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