Stefanik, Walberg Push Back on Harvard’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism’s Failed Preliminary Recommendations

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Congresswoman Elise Stefanik joined Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) in leading a letterto Harvard University Interim President Alan Garber expressing serious concerns over the inadequacy of Harvard's Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism's Preliminary Recommendationsthat were released on June 6. Jewish leaders at Harvard as well as alumni have labeledthe recommendations as insufficient for not addressing faculty issues, concerns with DEI, and not calling on Harvard to end its relationship with Birzeit University in the West Bank.

In the letter, the lawmakers state, "The Preliminary Recommendations reaffirm what has been known for months. Harvard has a serious problem with antisemitism on its campus, including 'derision and exclusion' of Israeli students, discrimination and harassment of students by faculty and teaching fellows, and political litmus tests in extracurricular student life. While the Preliminary Recommendations rightly call for substantive discipline and public condemnation in response to this hateful misconduct, they fail to offer real solutions for doing so."

The lawmakers continue,"Instead of offering a tangible plan to address antisemitism at Harvard, the task force's most specific and actionable recommendations are to organize public talks on respectful dialogue and religious relations, increase the availability of hot kosher meals, and to circulate guidance about accommodating Jewish religious observance and a calendar of Jewish holidays. The inadequacy of the Preliminary Recommendations is particularly alarming given that Harvard's leaders had already received a strong, detailed, and comprehensive set of recommendations from the AAG on December 18, 2023, which identified eight goals and 38 steps for combating antisemitism. Rather than build on these recommendations by presenting concrete plans for implementing them, the task force took six months to reinvent the wheel and offer an inferior set of recommendations."

Stefanik and Walberg are joined by Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Jim Banks (R-IN), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Jason Smith (R-MO), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Russell Fry (R-SC), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Michael Guest (R-MS), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Keith Self (R-TX), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Randy Weber (R-TX), and Rudy Yakym (R-IN).

Read the full letter here.

Permalink: https://stefanik.house.gov/2024/7/stefanik-walberg-push-back-on-harvard-s-presidential-task-force-on-combating-antisemitism-s-failed-preliminary-recommendations