I think that Harvard is going to cave, Peter. But it will have the effect of inflaming antisemitism as opposed to taking a flamethrower to it. And it may also have an enormous impact on student enrollment and faculty retention at Harvard.
Because most of Harvard’s students and faculty members, including most of its Jewish students and faculty members, are socially conscious and are appalled by Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians.
Hence, why would any self-respecting young person or professor of good conscience want to affiliate in any way with Harvard after it caves later in the week?
And Harvard's Kennedy School just established a position with the title "Kissinger Professor of the Practice of Statecraft and World Order." See who the inaugural holder is:
I honestly do not understand why the universities, which means the boards of trustees, are doing this. It only fuels antisemitism among people who were previously defenders of Jewish people. And possibly of Israel as well. It makes no sense.
Columbia caved and adopted the IHRA definition, leading to scholars of the Middle East and the Holocaust announcing they could no longer teach their classes without running afoul of the new policy.
From the video: "If Israel is classified as an apartheid state, right, can we imagine a situation in which you were not allowed to teach about apartheid South Africa, and call it racist, or make comparisons to the Nazis?"
We've seen something like this with the concept of Israel as a settler colonialist enterprise. What is the ADL's reaction? It put up a web page denying the "allegation":
If you read the page from start to finish, you might notice that it never gets around to saying directly what the term "settler colonialism" *means*. The closest it gets is to say what the term "*conjures*", in the opening sentence:
"The term “settler colonialism” conjures historical memories of exploitative white European empires militarily invading lands in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, implanting their citizens in colonies through the use of force, subjugating the native and indigenous populations and stealing their natural resources."
The Middle East, Asia and Africa?? The most prominent examples of what are conventionally understood as settler colonialist enterprises by "white European empires" are *not* in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, but in North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. The United States of America is the largest of these, and it's where the ADL itself is based. As well as its target audience. But because the label of "settler colonialist enterprise" is seen as bad, the ADL decides not only that it has to deny that Israel fits that description, but that it should avoid hinting that the United States does, too.
By the way, there is a bill currently in the California legislature, AB 715, that would require, among other things, that school instructional materials "Do not introduce or promote antisemitic content, including inaccurate historical narratives such as labeling Israel a settler colonial state."
Would someone here please provide actionable info? How can we most effectively protest? Where is the petition? How can we sign onto a faculty letter? Or?..............
We the People WE have come to this Our own President of our country has brought about this!! Cheeto’s actions have desecrated what we stand for and betrayed our country He is a TRAITOR and Benedict Arnold of the 21st century
Just look at this video and feel the nausea, revulsion, and ANGER https://bit.ly/45U9Prj
This should make every American who cares about our country be repulsed just as we are with pedophiles who abuse our children Enough Enough already This should be on every front page of American newspapers as to what this asshole is doing to our country
If this doesn’t make you want to get out and Protest Protest Protest then I don’t even count you as a fellow countryman Donate to legitimate causes and hit the streets Talk to friends, relatives, neighbors, family to get this video to go viral
We the People WE have come to this Our own President of our country has brought about this!! Cheeto’s actions have desecrated what we stand for and betrayed our country He is a TRAITOR and Benedict Arnold of the 21st century
Just look at this video and feel the nausea, revulsion, and ANGER https://bit.ly/45U9Prj
This should make every American who cares about our country be repulsed just as we are with pedophiles who abuse our children Enough Enough already This should be on every front page of American newspapers as to what this asshole is doing to our country
If this doesn’t make you want to get out and Protest Protest Protest then I don’t even count you as a fellow countryman Donate to legitimate causes and hit the streets Talk to friends, relatives, neighbors, family to get this video to go viral
Such an appalling situation. We must find a way to prevent this collapse. Thank you for stressing the urgency of combatting this mental enslavement. How tragic to think that Harvard admin is stupid enough to agree with Trump's "moral authority" on anti-Semitism or too cowed to stand up to him.
Harvard leadership, partnering with Israel & Zionism, is already deminishing the institution. Once you begin that decline, hard to see how it will ever reverse.
Thank you Peter. We need your voice .
I think that Harvard is going to cave, Peter. But it will have the effect of inflaming antisemitism as opposed to taking a flamethrower to it. And it may also have an enormous impact on student enrollment and faculty retention at Harvard.
Because most of Harvard’s students and faculty members, including most of its Jewish students and faculty members, are socially conscious and are appalled by Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians.
Hence, why would any self-respecting young person or professor of good conscience want to affiliate in any way with Harvard after it caves later in the week?
As a Yale professor, I thank you for your arguments and for your solidarity.
Harvard hired Kissinger, Summers and Dershowitz. The institution is rotten to the core.
"Harvard hired Kissinger ..."
And Harvard's Kennedy School just established a position with the title "Kissinger Professor of the Practice of Statecraft and World Order." See who the inaugural holder is:
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/announcements/former-us-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-join-harvard-kennedy-school
His first day on the job was April 1.
I honestly do not understand why the universities, which means the boards of trustees, are doing this. It only fuels antisemitism among people who were previously defenders of Jewish people. And possibly of Israel as well. It makes no sense.
For a more in depth description of how what Peter is talking about happens, see Eyal Press's piece in the New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-troubling-lines-that-columbia-is-drawing).
Columbia caved and adopted the IHRA definition, leading to scholars of the Middle East and the Holocaust announcing they could no longer teach their classes without running afoul of the new policy.
Thank you for this clear, emphatic plea to save scholarship at our universities.
So grateful for your moral clarity and ability to articulate what so many of us believe!
Martin Heidegger is looking more redeemable by the day.
From the video: "If Israel is classified as an apartheid state, right, can we imagine a situation in which you were not allowed to teach about apartheid South Africa, and call it racist, or make comparisons to the Nazis?"
We've seen something like this with the concept of Israel as a settler colonialist enterprise. What is the ADL's reaction? It put up a web page denying the "allegation":
https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/allegation-israel-settler-colonialist-enterprise
If you read the page from start to finish, you might notice that it never gets around to saying directly what the term "settler colonialism" *means*. The closest it gets is to say what the term "*conjures*", in the opening sentence:
"The term “settler colonialism” conjures historical memories of exploitative white European empires militarily invading lands in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, implanting their citizens in colonies through the use of force, subjugating the native and indigenous populations and stealing their natural resources."
The Middle East, Asia and Africa?? The most prominent examples of what are conventionally understood as settler colonialist enterprises by "white European empires" are *not* in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, but in North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. The United States of America is the largest of these, and it's where the ADL itself is based. As well as its target audience. But because the label of "settler colonialist enterprise" is seen as bad, the ADL decides not only that it has to deny that Israel fits that description, but that it should avoid hinting that the United States does, too.
By the way, there is a bill currently in the California legislature, AB 715, that would require, among other things, that school instructional materials "Do not introduce or promote antisemitic content, including inaccurate historical narratives such as labeling Israel a settler colonial state."
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB715/2025
In the latest vote, the bill passed the Assembly 68-0 (11 members were absent).
Would someone here please provide actionable info? How can we most effectively protest? Where is the petition? How can we sign onto a faculty letter? Or?..............
Here is a link to an advocacy letter put together by Harvard alums, but it can be signed by those who are not affiliated by Harvard.
https://crimsoncourage.fillout.com/august-letter
(There is a recent piece in the Boston Globe which may provide info, but there's a paywall....)
Please site it. I had a subscription but don't know who wrote it or when,
Thank you so much! Here is the link: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/14/opinion/harvard-trump-faculty-trustees/
I need your email to share this with you........can't share it here.
I am at ctollopp@gmail.com
Cheeto and Desecrating the American Flag
We the People WE have come to this Our own President of our country has brought about this!! Cheeto’s actions have desecrated what we stand for and betrayed our country He is a TRAITOR and Benedict Arnold of the 21st century
Just look at this video and feel the nausea, revulsion, and ANGER https://bit.ly/45U9Prj
This should make every American who cares about our country be repulsed just as we are with pedophiles who abuse our children Enough Enough already This should be on every front page of American newspapers as to what this asshole is doing to our country
If this doesn’t make you want to get out and Protest Protest Protest then I don’t even count you as a fellow countryman Donate to legitimate causes and hit the streets Talk to friends, relatives, neighbors, family to get this video to go viral
Cheeto and Desecrating the American Flag
We the People WE have come to this Our own President of our country has brought about this!! Cheeto’s actions have desecrated what we stand for and betrayed our country He is a TRAITOR and Benedict Arnold of the 21st century
Just look at this video and feel the nausea, revulsion, and ANGER https://bit.ly/45U9Prj
This should make every American who cares about our country be repulsed just as we are with pedophiles who abuse our children Enough Enough already This should be on every front page of American newspapers as to what this asshole is doing to our country
If this doesn’t make you want to get out and Protest Protest Protest then I don’t even count you as a fellow countryman Donate to legitimate causes and hit the streets Talk to friends, relatives, neighbors, family to get this video to go viral
Such an appalling situation. We must find a way to prevent this collapse. Thank you for stressing the urgency of combatting this mental enslavement. How tragic to think that Harvard admin is stupid enough to agree with Trump's "moral authority" on anti-Semitism or too cowed to stand up to him.
Harvard leadership, partnering with Israel & Zionism, is already deminishing the institution. Once you begin that decline, hard to see how it will ever reverse.