On Wednesday, a Jewish graduate student at Harvard University said in a congressional hearing that the school will reward pro-Hamas students who set up encampments on campus and harassed Jewish students for weeks on end.
“On the first day of Passover, hundreds of students and faculty members set up encampments in Harvard Yard, in direct violation of Harvard policies, demanding that Harvard divest all money from the Jewish state….they screamed about globalizing the intifada, drew pictures of our Jewish university president with horns and a tail and screamed at all hours of the day that ‘Palestine will be Arab,’” the student, Shabbos Kestenbaum explained, adding that he was followed around campus by self-appointed pro-Hamas “safety marshals.”
“They often recorded us and demanded we leave their encampment as if we did not have a right to exist at Harvard. But they did nothing when their campus participants physically threatened Harvard community members…Although President Alan Garber himself admitted that these students threatened both students and employees, the encampment was allowed to continue uninterrupted for three weeks.”
Kestenbaum noted that the pro-Hamas students will face zero consequences for their actions in recent weeks and will get to speak to the school administration about how to implement a pro-Palestine agenda in the school.
“That is the reality of being a Jew at Harvard in 2024.”
Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Jewish graduate student at Harvard, details his harrowing experiences over the last 3 weeks on campus. pic.twitter.com/SxFH61Neuq
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) May 15, 2024
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Kestenbaum is currently suing the university over its handling of pro-Hamas protestors and antisemitism on campus. In March, he published an op-ed in Newsweek explaining the lawsuit.
“Since October 7, antisemitism on campus has multiplied exponentially. On my way to class, people direct chants at me to "globalize the intifada"—to kill all Jews in the world—or to "free Palestine from the river to the sea"—to annihilate the only Jewish state and its Jewish inhabitants, including my family,” he wrote.
“One might expect that Harvard Divinity School—with its mission emphasizing "Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging," and with religious tolerance one of its core tenets—would be a safe place for Jews,” he added.
In an interview with Fox News, Kestenbaum said that finds it "absurd" that the school is "rewarding bad behavior.”
"If Harvard wanted to change, if they wanted to combat antisemitism, they would’ve done it already," Kestenbaum said. "There is nothing preventing them today from implementing policies that will combat antisemitism and discipline antisemitic students and professors, but time and time again, they’ve shown they are either unable or unwilling to do anything to help their Jewish students."
Earlier this month, Harvard University interim president Alan Garber threatened pro-Hamas student protesters with "involuntary leave" from the school if they do not clear out their pro-Hamas encampments.
“Over the last 12 days, the encampment in Harvard Yard has disrupted our educational activities and operations. The right to free speech, including protest and dissent, is vital to the work of the research university. But it is not unlimited. It must be exercised in a time, place, and manner that respects the right of our community members to do their work, pursue their education, and enjoy the opportunities that a residential campus has to offer,” Garber said in a statement.
"Those who participate in or perpetuate its continuation will be referred for involuntary leave from their schools," Garber added. “Among other implications, students placed on involuntary leave may not be able to sit for exams, may not continue to reside in Harvard housing, and must cease to be present on campus until reinstated.”
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