The presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania are taking criticism for their soft stance on antisemitism.
The school leaders failed to say in a House hearing that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate their universities’ codes of conduct. They’ve been widely panned since Tuesday by alumni, business leaders, and politicians, among them Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla wrote on social media that it was “one of the most despicable moments in the history of U.S. academia.” For context, the CEO’s parents were one of just 2,000 Thessaloniki Jews to survive the Holocaust.
Billionaire Bill Ackman called for all three presidents to “resign in disgrace.” He added they acted like hostile witnesses. Elon Musk quickly backed the post while adding that calls for genocide count as harassment.