Congress launches investigation into Harvard, MIT, UPenn after ‘unacceptable’ testimony about antisemitism; rabbi resigns from Harvard committee

A Congressional committee has launched an investigation into Harvard University, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania after their campus leaders gave “unacceptable” testimony about antisemitism at a House hearing this week.

The Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce has announced that it’s opening a formal investigation into the learning environments, policies, and disciplinary procedures at the three elite universities.

The presidents of Harvard, MIT and UPenn refused to characterize protesters’ calls for the genocide of Jews as a breach of the student code of conduct. Jewish and Israeli students have been threatened and assaulted on campuses since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.

Following Tuesday’s explosive Congressional hearing, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce will now be seeking documents and disciplinary records from the three schools.

“The testimony we received earlier this week from Presidents Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth about the responses of Harvard, UPenn, and MIT to the rampant antisemitism displayed on their campuses by students and faculty was absolutely unacceptable,” Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said in a Thursday statement. “Committee members have deep concerns with their leadership and their failure to take steps to provide Jewish students the safe learning environment they are due under law.

“Given those institutional and personal failures, the Committee is opening a formal investigation into the learning environments at Harvard, UPenn, and MIT and their policies and disciplinary procedures,” Foxx added. “This investigation will include substantial document requests, and the Committee will not hesitate to utilize compulsory measures including subpoenas if a full response is not immediately forthcoming.”

Other universities should also anticipate investigations, she warned.

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Meanwhile on Thursday, a rabbi on the antisemitism advisory committee at Harvard said he has resigned following the Congressional testimony.

“Without rehashing all of the obvious reasons that have been endlessly adumbrated online, and with great respect for the members of the committee, the short explanation is that both events on campus and the painfully inadequate testimony reinforced the idea that I cannot make the sort of difference I had hoped,” posted Rabbi David Wolpe, a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School.

“… the system at Harvard along with the ideology that grips far too many of the students and faculty, the ideology that works only along axes of oppression and places Jews as oppressors and therefore intrinsically evil, is itself evil,” he later added. “Ignoring Jewish suffering is evil. Belittling or denying the Jewish experience, including unspeakable atrocities, is a vast and continuing catastrophe. Denying Israel the self-determination as a Jewish nation accorded unthinkingly to others is endemic, and evil.”

1/3 Resigning, a Hanukkah Message: As of today I have resigned from the antisemitism advisory committee at Harvard. Without rehashing all of the obvious reasons that have been endlessly adumbrated online, and with great respect for the members of the committee, the short…

— David Wolpe (@RabbiWolpe) December 7, 2023

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