According to officials at Harvard University, its antisemitism problem is under control. Reports of antisemitic incidents on campus are down after the numbers exploded in the wake of October 7, 2023. Today, 170 Jewish and non-Jewish Harvard faculty members will publish a letter stating that there is more to the story, and that while there’s less overt antisemitism at the university this past year, a more insidious form of Jew-hate has emerged. Jewish students are hiding their Star of David necklaces and scrubbing their CVs of references to Israel to self-protect. Two signatories to the letter explain what’s still not working—and what the school should do about it. —The Editors
When hate turns quiet on campus, it can mean one of two things: First, that the hate has been eliminated from the university, or second, that it has morphed into more insidious forms. What we, as Jewish and Israeli faculty, staff, and students at Harvard University have witnessed over the past year, appears to be the latter.
While incidents of overt antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias have diminished throughout this academic year at Harvard, Jewish students still report feeling uncomfortable and isolated. These students, with whom we have been in direct contact, said they feel compelled to hide their full identities on campus in order to avoid ostracization and bias. Unsurprisingly, they report these choices and circumstances while insisting on anonymity for fear of retribution.
This alarming trend persists despite the emergence of now thriving and welcoming Jewish and Israeli safe spaces such as Harvard Hillel, Chabad, and Harvard Faculty for Israel. Students and faculty have told us that outside of these trusted Jewish spaces, they are afraid to express their full identities; reveal details of, or even mention, connectivity to and work in Israel; include experiences on their CVs that indicate that they are Jewish; wear their kippah; or uncover their Star of David. Some of these students say it is a matter of self-protection and the only way to get through their educational experience at Harvard.
