In testimonies before Congress last week, the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology personally and vehemently condemned rising antisemitism and antisemitic speech on their campuses. But their responses to a representative's question about demonstrators calling for the genocide of Jews in campus protests has ignited a sharp backlash and bipartisan demands for their resignation, that just over a week out from the remarks have only seemed to ramp up.
Last week's contentious and viral moment from the five-hour-long House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing titled "Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism" saw Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, N.Y., a Harvard alum, questioning a panel of Ivy League presidents about whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" violates each universities' code of conduct. While the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology personally and vehemently condemned rising antisemitism and antisemitic speech on their campuses, their responses to Stefanik's grilling have ignited a sharp backlash and bipartisan demands for their resignation.
