Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife have resigned from the executive board of Harvard’s Kennedy School in protest of Harvard president Claudine Gay’s initial response to the student letter blaming Israel for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists.
Upset at the “shocking and insensitive response by the president of the university, who did not condemn the letter by student organizations who blamed Israel for the massacres,” the couple submitted their resignations, according to reports.
Ofer, a shipping and chemicals magnate, is worth an estimated $20 billion, Bloomberg’s billionaire index shows.
The couple was joined by many others who expressed outrage over Harvard’s response.
“The delayed @Harvard leadership statement fails to meet the needs of the moment,” said former Harvard president Larry Summers on X. “Why can’t we find anything approaching the moral clarity of Harvard statements after George Floyd’s death or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when terrorists kill, rape, and take hostage hundreds of Israelis attending a music festival?”
Why can’t we give reassurance that the University stands squarely against Hamas terror to frightened students when 35 groups of their fellow students appear to be blaming all the violence on Israel?
— Lawrence H. Summers (@LHSummers) October 10, 2023
Gay’s office released two statements on the war.
A Statement from Harvard University Leadership
October, 9, 2023
Dear Members of the Harvard Community,
We write to you today heartbroken by the death and destruction unleashed by the attack by Hamas that targeted citizens in Israel this weekend, and by the war in Israel and Gaza now under way.
The violence hits all too close to home for many at Harvard. Some members of our community have lost family members and friends; some have been unable to reach loved ones. And, even for people at Harvard who have not been affected directly by the fighting, there are feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and more that create a heavy burden. We have heard from many students, faculty, and staff about the emotional toll that these events are taking.
Across Harvard, we will continue providing as much support to our students and colleagues as possible. Our Schools either have shared or will soon share messages regarding available resources.
We have also heard an interest from many in understanding more clearly what has been happening in Israel and Gaza. Even as we attend immediately to the needs of our community members, we can take steps as an academic community to deepen our knowledge of the unfolding events and their broader implications for the region and the world. We expect there will be many such opportunities in the coming days and weeks.
We have no illusion that Harvard alone can readily bridge the widely different views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we are hopeful that, as a community devoted to learning, we can take steps that will draw on our common humanity and shared values in order to modulate rather than amplify the deep-seated divisions and animosities so distressingly evident in the wider world. Especially at such a time, we want to emphasize our commitment to fostering an environment of dialogue and empathy, appealing to one another’s thoughtfulness and goodwill in a time of unimaginable loss and sorrow.
As many colleagues, classmates, and friends deal with pain and deep concern about the events in Israel and Gaza, we must all remember that we are one Harvard community, drawn together by a shared passion for learning, discovery, and the pursuit of truth in all its complexity, and held together by a commitment to mutual respect and support. At this moment of challenge, let us embody the care and compassion the world needs now.
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Another came the following day:
A Statement from President Claudine Gay
October 10, 2023
As the events of recent days continue to reverberate, let there be no doubt that I condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region.Let me also state, on this matter as on others, that while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.
We will all be well served in such a difficult moment by rhetoric that aims to illuminate and not inflame. And I appeal to all of us in this community of learning to keep this in mind as our conversations continue.
Claudine Gay
President, Harvard University
“Unfortunately, our faith in the University’s leadership has been broken and we cannot in good faith continue to support Harvard and its committees,” the Ofers told CNN in a statement.
“Our decision ... has been precipitated by the lack of clear evidence of support from the University’s leadership for the people of Israel following the tragic events of the past week, coupled with their apparent unwillingness to recognize Hamas for what it is, a terrorist organization,” they said.
According to a translation from TheMarker, a Hebrew-language news site, the Ofers also "withdrew a donation of millions of dollars that they planned to donate to Harvard."
On Thursday, Gay also released a video message about where Harvard stands.
.@Harvard continues to disgrace itself on the global stage.
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) October 13, 2023
Antisemitism should be condemned and NEVER defended as “free expression.” Claudine Gay should resign. https://t.co/QpRjaJWzCy
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