Former Harvard University President Larry Summers criticized the university for appointing a Jewish professor who called Israel an “apartheid state” to co-chair its anti-Semitism task force.
Summers announced the appointment of Jewish historian Professor Derek Pensler to co-chair a special committee appointed by Alan Garber, who replaced ousted Claudine Gay as interim president of the school. I objected.
“I have lost confidence in the determination and ability of Harvard University and its leadership to maintain Harvard University as a place where Jews and Israelis can thrive,” Summers wrote on his social media account Sunday. .
Last year, Pensler wrote a book called “Zionism: A Nation of Feelings,'' in which he wrote, “Israel's dispossession of Palestinians from their land and oppression of those who remain has made Israel the most hated country on earth.'' It has become one of the countries.”
He also claimed in the book that “Jewish culture was steeped in fantasies (and sometimes acts) of revenge against Christians.”
According to Summers, Pensler “publicly trivialized Harvard's anti-Semitism problem, rejected the definition of anti-Semitism used by the U.S. government in recent years as too broad, and dismissed settler colonialism in his analysis of Israel.” Calling Israel an apartheid state, citing the need for a concept of…
Summers also noted that Pensler said the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement against Israel is a “reasonable position.” Pensler, director of Harvard University's Center for Jewish Studies, said he does not support BDS.
Last week, Gerber announced the creation of two “presidential task forces” at the school. One focused on anti-Semitism and the other on Islamophobia.
“In my view, this is not a problem for Harvard professors and task force members, but I am co-chairing the anti-Semitism task force, which is running parallel to the Islamophobia task force. appears very problematic,” Summers, who served as Treasury secretary in President Obama’s Cabinet, wrote on Sunday.
The newspaper has contacted Pensler University and Harvard University for comment.
Gay resigned as president of Harvard University earlier this month after he was found to have plagiarized several academic papers.
She and other Ivy League presidents were criticized for failing to forcefully condemn hate speech directed at Jewish students on campus following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists.
Mr. Summers was one of the first high-profile figures to take Harvard administrators to task for not doing enough to condemn Hamas in the days after the surprise attack.
Harvard University became the center of attention after dozens of student organizations circulated a letter accusing Israel of the Hamas attack.
Bill Ackman and others then called on private companies to deny employment opportunities to student members of organizations that signed the letter.
Mr. Ackman, a Harvard graduate and billionaire hedge fund manager, also criticized Mr. Pensler's appointment.
Last summer, Pensler co-signed a letter denouncing the “longstanding Israeli occupation” of the Gaza Strip and denouncing the Israeli government's aim of “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in all territories under Israeli control.” . ”
“Meanwhile, America’s Jewish billionaire financiers are helping to support far-right support in Israel,” the letter said.
letter updated last month It includes calls for an “immediate and durable ceasefire,” a “hostage and prisoner exchange,” and “the provision of emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Stephen Levitsky, a government professor at Harvard University, pushed back against Pensler's criticism.
“Universities must maintain independence from outside political forces that seek to shape their agenda,'' Levitsky said. he told the Harvard Crimson.
“External forces—lawmakers, donors, activists—have every right to have an opinion about Harvard or about Harvard's policies and leadership, but they decide who Harvard's president is. They cannot decide the staffing of our committees. They cannot determine the staffing of our committees. ”
