House Republicans summoned the presidents of three of America’s most prestigious universities to a hearing Tuesday to discuss efforts to combat anti-Semitism in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel. However, some members of Congress believe that universities’ response to the anti-Semitic rhetoric that has become more prevalent among students is insufficient.
Speaking before the House committee, Claudine Gay of Harvard University, Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology condemned the Islamist militant group’s attack and reaffirmed their commitment to the safety of Jewish students. At the same time, all three expressed the need to protect freedom of expression.
“We don’t sanction people for their political opinions or speech, but when that speech turns into behavior that violates our policies – intimidation, harassment and threats – we take action,” Gay said.
University presidents are on the front lines of the battle for free speech on American college campuses. At many universities, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashed, sometimes leading to anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric and attacks. Harvard and Penn in particular have faced backlash from prominent Jewish alumni and donors over what critics say are university administrators who have been slow or insufficient in responding to behavior that critics consider anti-Semitic.
“People deserve answers, not rhetoric,” said Congresswoman Lisa McClain of Michigan. “It’s clear that Jewish students on all your campuses are afraid to be themselves because you refuse to take real action…against anti-Semitism.”
The University of Pennsylvania campus hosted a Palestinian writers festival in September, featuring some openly pro-Palestinian speakers characterized by critics as anti-Semitic, sparking outrage among students. This anger intensified after the October 7 attack.
At Harvard, more than 30 student groups signed a letter blaming Israel for the violence that has plagued the region since October 7, prompting some donors to withdraw their support for the school.
Kevin Kiley, a California Republican, asked Gay — who waited several days to speak, disassociating the university from a statement signed by dozens of Harvard student groups — if he regretted his response.
Gay said if he had known the statement would be wrongly attributed to the university, rather than just student groups, he would have spoken out sooner.
Committee members also questioned Magill about whether Penn State should have held a Palestinian writers festival, accusing her of allowing anti-Semitism on campus.
“It’s creating a safe haven for this type of anti-Semitic behavior,” Republican Rep. Jim Banks told Magill.
Magill said she personally objects to the anti-Semitic views of some speakers at the festival and stressed that she had not considered canceling the event.
“We probably have thousands of speakers on campus every year. I don’t agree with many of them. I don’t cancel them or censor them before they get to campus,” Magill said.
