Harvard University released two reports on April 29 detailing findings from its presidential task forces formed to address anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bias, and tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
The reports—commissioned after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and subsequent campus protests—found that Jewish, Israeli, Zionist, Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian students all reported feeling marginalized or targeted over their identities and views. Some Jewish students said they hid religious symbols or avoided speaking Hebrew in public, while Muslim and Palestinian students said they felt judged, misrepresented, and unsupported.
“Especially disturbing is the reported willingness of some students to treat each other with disdain rather than sympathy, eager to criticize and ostracize, particularly when afforded the anonymity and distance that social media provides,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a letter to the campus community. “Some students reported being pushed by their peers to the periphery of campus life because of who they are or what they believe, eroding our shared sense of community in the process.”…