Antisemitic comments in Congress by the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), continue to cause backlash. David Schwimmer, Debra Messing and Michael Rapaport are some of the prominent Hollywood celebrities who have spoken out against these statements.
One of the strongest messages came from Schwimmer, star of “Friends,” who called the testimonies "morally bankrupt." Claudine Gay, president of Harvard, Liz Magill, who recently stepped down as president of UPenn, and Sally Kornbluth, president of MIT, were questioned by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on whether the calls for an "intifada" were true and whether the genocide of Jews violated their respective universities' codes of conduct on Dec. 5.
All three were not forthright with yes or no answers. They simply chose to say that condemnation of calls for violence against Jews depends on the context. That position was the one most criticized by Schwimmer. "Incapable of answering even the most direct 'yes' or 'no' questions, watch them duck and smirk at the unbridled antisemitism and calls for genocide on their campuses," the actor argued.
‘Silence is complicity’
Schwimmer insisted that the position taken by these college presidents should generate a backlash from the university community and the rest of society. "Where is the outrage among students, faculty and alumni demanding their resignations, an official apology and enforcement of the codes of conduct? Silence is complicity," the actor stressed on his Instagram account.
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Emmy-winning actress Debra Messing shared an interview of civil rights activist Al Sharpton in which she asserts that antisemitic comments should be condemned just as racist comments are. Messing shared in the video on Instagram, insisting that it is not difficult to understand. "Thank you Al Sharpton for your moral clarity and outrage. 'This isn’t hard.' Indeed," the actress wrote.
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‘It depends on the context’
Michael Rapaport, actor and comedian, not only criticized the fact that the presidents said that condemning the call for violence depends on the context. He compared the situation to racism and also made a parody of Harry Potter in which he mocks the statement of the university authorities.
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Patricia Heaton, the well-known actress from “Everybody Loves Raymond,” said she would like university presidents to explain "what context is good for killing Jews and what context is bad."
"So the presidents of Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania got together and decided to use the word 'context' to defend allowing their students to call for the genocide of Jews. I would like to hear them explain which context is a good context for killing Jews, and which context is bad. Maybe add 'rape' to that. Is there an acceptable context to talk about raping Jews?" noted Heaton on X (formerly Twitter).
So the presidents of @Harvard, @MIT and @Penn all got together and decided to use the word “context” to defend allowing their students to call for the genocide of Jews. I would like to hear them explain which context is a good context for killing Jews, and which context is bad.…
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) December 6, 2023
Finally, actress Charisma Carpenter posted an image on Instagram showing how the Nazis marked Jews with numbers and wrote: "It depends on the context." In addition, Carpenter argued that a similar situation as the Holocaust should never be experienced again.
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