Mitt Romney and Seth Klarman Criticize Harvard's Response to Antisemitism Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

Open letter from prominent alumni, including the Utah senator and billionaire investor, accuses university's leadership of failing to effectively address a rise in antisemitism linked to the Middle East conflict; the letter, signed by over 900 people, outlines four steps for improvement and comes as several billionaire donors withdraw support.

• Prominent Harvard alumni, including Utah Senator Mitt Romney and billionaire investor Seth Klarman, signed an open letter criticizing the university's response to alleged antisemitism on campus in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
• The open letter calls on Harvard to take four key actions: to restate and enforce the school's code of conduct, restrict on-campus protests to only students, require pre-planned and scheduled protests, and create a mandatory course on productive discourse, critical thinking, and the interrogation of facts.
• Following the Hamas attacks in Israel, a group of student organizations at Harvard issued a joint statement blaming the Israeli government for the violence, causing outrages among the alumni and donors.
• In response to the letter, a Harvard spokesperson stated the university has already closed parts of its campus to those without Harvard IDs and reiterated its rejection of terrorist atrocities, including those perpetrated by Hamas.
• Several billionaire donors, including Idan Ofer, Leslie Wexner and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, have withdrawn their support from the university due to its handling of the situation.

3 Articles

Business Insider Boston Globe Fortune