Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Pennsylvania will face questioning from House lawmakers today in Washington, D.C. The hearing will focus on the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses following Hamas’ attack on Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has organized the hearing, titled “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Anti-Semitism.” Its aim is to address specific incidents of anti-Semitism on each campus and examine the responses of university administrators.
Committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., expressed concern over the recent surge in anti-Semitic demonstrations on college campuses and criticized administrators for not taking decisive action. Foxx emphasized that college and university presidents have a responsibility to create a safe learning environment for their students and staff. The hearing aims to hold these campus leaders accountable and demand appropriate action against anti-Semitism.
Scheduled to testify before lawmakers today are Harvard president Dr. Claudine Gay, MIT president Dr. Sally Kornbluth, and University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill.
This hearing comes shortly after the Department of Education added Harvard to a list of 57 educational institutions currently under investigation for discrimination involving shared ancestry. The investigation follows an October complaint alleging that Harvard failed to respond adequately to reports of harassment against students of Jewish or Israeli origin.
The FBI is also investigating an incident at Harvard Business College, where an Israeli student filmed a pro-Palestinian “die-in” protest. Meanwhile, at MIT, Jewish and Israeli students reported being physically prevented from attending classes by a pro-Hamas group.
Both Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have been facing backlash from billionaire donors who have withdrawn funding due to the administrations’ silence on the issue. Former U.S. Ambassador and long-time Penn donor Jon Huntsman wrote a letter to President Magill, stating, “The university’s silence in the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel is a new low. Silence is anti-Semitism, and anti-Semitism is hate, the very thing higher education was built to obviate.”
The hearing aims to shed light on these incidents and encourage universities to take stronger action against anti-Semitism on their campuses.