The Harvard University Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine made an antisemitic post Monday. Specifically, the association uploaded an image to Instagram that included a representation of a hand with a Jewish religious symbol holding leashes controlling two black figures:
Harvard *faculty* just posted an explicitly antisemitic poster depicting a Jewish hand controlling the black mind. With Professors like these, it’s easy to see why we Jewish students don’t feel safe in class pic.twitter.com/AiqADJSIFw
— Shabbos Kestenbaum (@ShabbosK) February 19, 2024
The controversial post was short-lived. A few hours later, the group decided to delete it from their account and apologize for the image. However, they did not take full responsibility. As they alleged at the time, the post "was linked to our account," thus ensuring that their role was simply passive.
Harvard authorities will begin investigation into antisemitic post
However, the authorities of the educational institution, who have face numerous controversies for their continued antisemitism, did not consider the argument valid. In an article published by the student newspaper The Harvard Crimson, the university said it would investigate the controversial post and that it would "refer the matter to the Harvard College Administrative Board":
While the post originated from two student organizations — Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and the African and African American Resistance Organization, most of the initial criticism was directed at a Harvard faculty and staff pro-Palestine group that reposted the image in an Instagram story.
In addition, the university published a statement on its Instagram account in which it assured that it was aware of the post and that "such despicable messages have no place in the Harvard community. We condemn these posts in the strongest possible terms":
The former president of Harvard Hillel, Jacob M. Miller, also spoke about the controversy with the student newspaper. The former president of Crimson Editorial assured that Harvard's "antisemitism problem is so deep it even extends to the school’s faculty. Shameful."
