University Presidents Under Fire

A week later came the attack of October 7th. The shocking severity of Hamas’s slaughter, rape, and kidnapping of Israelis had not yet sunk in, but that same day thirty-four Harvard student organizations issued a statement holding “the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” because of its previous actions in Gaza. The backlash was swift. Some called for disciplinary measures. The hedge-fund C.E.O. Bill Ackman, a Harvard alumnus, demanded that the names of the organizations’ members be released, so that potential employers could avoid hiring them. A truck in Harvard Square displayed students’ faces with the caption “Harvard’s leading antisemites.” Denunciations came from lawmakers, including the Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, of New York, an ardent Trump supporter and a Harvard alumna.