Harvard Establishes New Antisemitism Task Force, Appoints Professor Who Called Israel A ‘Regime of Apartheid’
Story by David Zimmermann • 13h
Harvard University established a newly formed antisemitism task force designed to identify the “root causes” of anti-Jewish sentiment on campus, but in doing so, appointed a professor who has been critical of Israel.
Interim Harvard president Alan Garber announced on Friday that the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism will be led by Derek Penslar, the university’s professor of Jewish history. In August, prior to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Penslar signed an open letter alongside nearly 2,900 signatories who at the time called Israel a “regime of apartheid” over its treatment of Palestinians.
“We, academics, clergy, and other public figures from Israel/Palestine and abroad, call attention to the direct link between Israel’s recent attack on the judiciary and its illegal occupation of millions of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the August letter read.
It has since been replaced by two new petitions, none of which Penslar has signed. The latest petition, published in December, calls on President Joe Biden to help negotiate an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, facilitate a second prisoner-hostage exchange, and supply additional humanitarian aid to Gaza amid the Middle Eastern conflict.
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