Statement to the President and Administration of Harvard University from the Harvard Club of Israel

On Sunday, just one day after thousands of Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli sovereign territory and massacred families in their homes, slaughtered hundreds of young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women and children, over 30 Harvard student groups published a statement condoning these atrocities and admonishing Israelis for having brought this on themselves. 

From the outset, the leadership of Harvard, one of the oldest and most venerated academic institutions in the world, failed to take a stand against terrorism–or even make any statement at all–until backlash from the pro-Hamas letter forced the administration’s hand. At that point, President Gay and several other senior administrators penned a lukewarm acknowledgement of “death and destruction”, and emphasizing the need for “dialogue”.

We, the Harvard Club of Israel, expect better. The barbaric acts that Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, has perpetrated against the Israeli civilian population are despicable war crimes. Harvard holds itself out as a thought leader for the world. Its very motto is “Veritas” (Truth), and its leadership is tasked with shining the light of truth for its students, alumni and the world. They have utterly failed.

In the last few days, President Biden has recognized the “pure, unadulterated evil unleashed” by this terrorism, and stated repeatedly, “We stand with Israel.” So did the leaders of most major democratic countries. We expect no less from Harvard’s leaders.

We recognize that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is immensely complex, and any discussion of the conflict requires nuance. But there is no nuance in the wide-scale murder, rape, kidnapping, torture, and desecration of bodies being perpetrated and then celebrated by Hamas and its followers. Hamas does not represent the purported aspirations of the Palestinian people and it offers only bloodshed and terror to the Palestinian people.  

While President Gay later issued a back-pedaling statement calling Hamas’s actions abhorrent, it was too little, too late. In the face of evil, Harvard must proclaim that pro-terrorism statements like those published by the student groups on Sunday have no place in civil discourse at Harvard or elsewhere. If Harvard wishes to be a moral leader for the world, its administration must speak out immediately and forcefully. Anything less than full support for Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens and unequivocal denunciation of this terrorism is unacceptable and is wholly inadequate for an institution of Harvard’s caliber.

Sincerely,

The Harvard Club of Israel