Harvard University appointed an anti-Semitism task force that has called Israel an “apartheid regime.” They have also supported former Harvard president Claudine Gay, an activist for the racist DEI ideology. She would not condemn anti-Semitic protesters at the school, but this task force defended her comments.
The interim Harvard president Alan Garber tapped Dirk Penslar, a professor of Jewish history, to serve on the presidential task force on combating anti-Semitism. It was created to identify the root causes of anti-Semitism at the Ivy League school.
As a Jewish history professor, he is accused of using his post to manipulate history.
Penslar has criticized anti-Israel initiatives like the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement but has made other claims that the worst anti-Semites use to push the Hamas cause, such as Israel is an apartheid regime and colonist (see Ira Stoll’s post at the end).
For example, he said, “There cannot be a democracy for Jews and Israel as long as Palestinians live under a regime of apartheid.”
Seth Mandel wrote:
First, as the New York Post notes, Penslar claimed anti-Semitism at Harvard has been “exaggerated” and that it’s comparable to the university’s “problem with Islamophobia.” So right off the bat we have a clear indication that the task force was assembled to sweep the problem under the rug.
But oh it gets so much worse.
Harvard alum Ira Stoll notes that Penslar last year signed a letter accusing Israel of apartheid and of seeking to “ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population.” Just last month, he extolled the virtues of seeing Israel through the prism of “settler colonialism,” the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that denies Jewish indigeneity in the land of Israel and evinces a deep ignorance of basic world history. Along those lines, he also incorrectly believes “Zionism is a modern phenomenon.”
They don’t need a task force to find out what the problem is. It’s quite obvious what it is – students from anti-Semitic nations, not having boundaries for racism, and DEI.
Appointing Penslar proves they’ll never find out the causes and don’t want to find out the causes.
Here’s one man’s opposing opinion:
It’s not necessary to use hyperbole, e.g. comparing Derek Penslar co-chairing an antisemitism task force to Harvey Weinstein co-chairing a rape task force. It’s doesn’t pass the puke test. It is absurd on its face. https://t.co/uQgEaJH6vg
— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) January 21, 2024
There is this opinion with facts:
Background on Derek Penslar, Harvard professor named today by interim president Alan Garber as co-chair of an antisemitism task force. I think Penslar is a terrible selection to co-chair this task force. Here is why: 1) Signed August 4, 2023 “Elephant in the Room” letter about…
— Ira Stoll (@IraStoll) January 19, 2024
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