Harvard University’s President Claudine Gay: A Racist, Bigot and Anti-Semite

The recent testimonies of MIT’s, Harvard’s and University of Pennsylvania’s presidents at the Congressional House of Education and the Workforce hearing have raised concerns about these women’s leadership capabilities and moral integrity, especially when responding to questions about people calling for the genocide of Jews on their campuses. While the resignation of the pathetic University of Pennsylvania’s president, Liz Magill, has occurred, both MIT’s President Sally Kornbluth and Harvard’s President Claudine Gay remain in their positions. Although I think both should resign immediately and/or their universities should immediately fire them, I will focus my article on the reason for why I think Gay should go more than anyone. My focus is particularly on Dr. Gay due to our shared educational background at Phillips Exeter Academy and our mutual interest in human rights issues. However, regardless of our shared background, I am deeply disappointed by Dr. Gay’s responses at the Congressional Hearing. When Congresswoman Stefanik asked Harvard’s Dr. Gay whether calling for genocide of Jews at Harvard violated the schools’ rules against bullying and harassment, Gay pathetically answered, “It can be, depending on the context.” What? Depends on the context? This nuanced response has sparked criticism. The concern raised is whether Dr. Gay would have given a similar response if similar statements were made about other groups, such as killing Blacks, banning women from college, or sterilizing sexual minorities. No, she would not have said it was alright to scream for Blacks to be slaughtered, or women do not deserve education or gays are defective and deserve sterilization. Looking at Dr. Gay’s published history, and her ethnic background, she would have defended Blacks. For humane and liberal political points, she would have defended homosexuals. And as a woman, she would have defended Women’s rights no doubt. However, for Jews, she would not extend the same courtesy showing her to be a bigot, racist and hypocrite. Critics argue that Dr. Gay, along with MIT’s and University of Pennsylvania’s presidents, exhibited sensitivity to avoid offending others, even at the expense of condemning anti-Semitic sentiments strongly. In other words, they were being sensitive to Neo-Nazis, Anti-Semites and Hamas loving people. They could not say the moral thing and state: “No, Madam Chairman, calling for genocide of Jews on campus is appalling and we will defend our Jewish students and punish those who say those things. We will especially punish those who support the Nazi organization Hamas and all those pathetic Palestinian Muslims who support radical Islam that allowed for Hamas fighters to rape women and young boys, cut off the heads of babies and burn people alive. We will denounce that genocide because we know when people call for it, often action follows it, and October 7, 2023 and the Nazi Holocaust have proven this time and time again.” To quote pathetic Dr. Gay in her cowardly apologies to a Harvard Student newspaper the next day, “I am sorry…..Words do matter.” In good Marine Corps terminology, I want to say to Dr. Gay, “No shit, Sherlock!!!” In short, the concern is that, in their pursuit of political correctness, these leaders failed to take a clear stance against hate speech that could incite violence against Jewish students. President Dr. Gay, specifically, has faced backlash for her apparent inconsistency in defending various groups. While championing the causes of Blacks' rights and Women’s rights, critics argue that her response to the issue of anti-Semitism reveals a lack of equal consideration for the rights and safety of Jewish students. This article also touches upon the motto of Non Sibi (“Not for Self”) from Phillips Exeter Academy, our alma mater, suggesting that President Gay’s handling of the situation contradicts the principle of serving and taking care of others. The contention is that her initial, bigoted, and racist response on the Hill only changed into an apology under political pressure when she spoke with the Harvard student newspaper a few days ago. In short, her apology seemed reactive rather than genuinely remorseful. In the meantime, one of the most prestigious rabbis in America, Rabbi David Wolpe, has resigned from a Harvard Board, and numerous donors are pulling their money and support for the university due to Dr. Gay’s pathetic leadership. In short, her apology all smacks of how President Bill Clinton responded about Monica Lewinsky and his affair with her. He wasn’t sorry for having the affair. He was sorry for getting caught. Likewise, Dr. Gay is not sorry for supporting her students yelling for the genocide of Jews on her campus. She is just sorry that now, because her beliefs are known, people are calling her a racist and bigot. Once again, her entire behavior suggests that her apology might be more about damage control than a genuine acknowledgement of the gravity of the situation. In conclusion, once again, as a Holocaust historian and fellow Exonian, I am appalled by Dr. Gay’s behavior. It is people like her who caused the Holocaust. Think about it. As Hitler screamed from the podium or wrote in his book Mein Kampf years before Auschwitz happened that the Germans in particular, and the world in general, needed to eradicate the Jews (a common phrase heard by the Nazis was Deutschland erwache, Juda verrecke [Germany awake, death to Judah]!,” he laid the groundwork needed for Europeans to actually eradicate the Jews in the death camps years after saying with words that people should do so. Well, Dr. Magill, Dr. Kornbluth and Dr. Gay all said this past week that it is alright to declare “Genocide to the Jews.” Disgraceful. And that a first-generation Haitian, African-American woman, as Dr. Gray, can say these things shows she has learned nothing about what it means to be a minority. When her chance on the world stage arose for her to defend human rights and attack any language that would lead to genocide and persecution, she failed, and this shows her to be a moral disgrace. She should resign now and never again be allowed in the halls of an educational institution.

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