On Tuesday, New York Representative Elise Stefanik asked the presidents of Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania a simple question.

“…does calling for the genocide of Jews violate (your university’s) code of conduct or rules regarding bullying and harassment? Yes or no?”

There are only two possible answers.  #1:  Of course it does.  #2: We never expected we would face this situation.  Therefore, we felt no need to specifically prohibit such speech.  But we know we must now.

All three academic leaders first told Stefanik it depended on the context.  In her response, Penn President Elizabeth Magill clarified, “If the speech becomes conduct.  It can be harassment, yes.”  An incredulous Stefanik shot back, “Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide?”

You might suspect I, being a Jew, am outraged by this exchange and especially the unwillingness of three university presidents to stand up against antisemitism which exploded beginning with false reports the Israel Defense Forces bombed a Gaza hospital when, in truth, the death and destruction was the result of an errant Islamic Jihad rocket.  If so, you would be half-right.  I am outraged at everyone involved.

If any one of my former students had come to class as ill-prepared as the three university presidents I would have excused them immediately.  (For the record, I actually would do that, explaining that I did not want the offending student to benefit by learning from the hard work of those students who did prepare.)  The trio knew exactly why they had been called before the House Committee on Education & the Workforce.  All they had to do was read the hearing title on the Committee’s web page, “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism.”

As professed in a classic Geico commercial, preempting the unfortunate discussion which occurred “…was so easy, even a cavewoman (all three presidents were women) can do it.”  Just imagine one of them had made the following opening statement.

Members of the committee, I share your concerns about the heated and potentially dangerous debate on college campus precipitated by the events of October 7, 2023 and Israel’s response.  I have always held academia should provide an environment for the free exchange of ideas and opinions.  And, as you know, there are strong opinions on both sides.

As a university president, I am required to make decisions that both protect free speech and ensure the safety of our students.  No easy task.  I have met with my leadership team and the university trustees and we came up with a set of ground rules we think does both.  Let me give you a few examples.

• • Condemning Hamas for the terrorist attack on October 7 and challenging Israeli tactical conduct of the war can and should be topics of civil discourse.
  • Equating all Palestinians with Hamas and all Jews and Israelis with government policies is not.
  • Signs, banners and posters supporting or opposing either the Palestinian or Israeli cause are acceptable.
  • Social media posts supporting or opposing either cause are also acceptable.
  • Signs, banners, posters and social media which threaten the free movement and safety of any student, faculty or administrator will be removed and the person originating the message may, following due process, be subject to suspension or expulsion.
  • Calling for the extermination of either Muslims/Palestinians or Jews/Israelis crosses a line we will not tolerate.
  • Anyone who engages in any activity which harms an individual or defaces property will be held accountable.
  • Anyone disrupting normal business including classes and extracurricular events, after due process, may be suspended or expelled.

If and when we observe unanticipated actions outside these ground rules we will amend them as necessary.  I hope you will support our efforts to be as precise as possible what we, as educators, see as the difference between free speech and unacceptable behavior.  Thank you.

Which brings me to my equal antipathy toward Congresswoman Stefanik.  When Stefanik referred specifically to calls of “genocide of Jews,”  MIT president Sally Kornbluth replied, “I have not heard calling for the genocide for Jews on our campus.” It turns out Kornbluth was correct, not just about MIT, but other campuses on which similar claims have been made.  Those claims turned out to be generated by Instagram and other social media users, often misquoting attendees at Palestinian rallies.  The Associated Press provides several examples including this one at the University of Pennsylvania.  The AP reports:

“Students @uofpenn gathered chanting ‘We want Jewish genocide’ ‘there is only 1 solution’ in reference to the Nazis ‘final solution’,” wrote an Instagram user who shared the clip in a post. “There has possibly never ever been a more dangerous time to be a Jewish student as Antisemitism continues to grow as a disease.”

The poster may be correct this is a dangerous time to be a Jewish student.  But it is not a license to make stuff up. The AP continues:

But the anti-Israel chants heard during the pro-Palestine rallies are being misquoted, Jewish and Palestinian groups say.

The protestors are actually chanting, “Israel, Israel, you can’t hide: We charge you with genocide,” the Anti-Defamation League, which frequently speaks out against anti-Semitism and extremism, confirmed in an email Tuesday.

Whether she believes the Israeli airstrikes are necessary to defeat a terrorist organization which brutally murdered so many of the country’s citizens or not, does Ms. Stefanik, a raging advocate for the First Amendment right to free expression when it comes to Donald Trump, really want to restrict debate about the future of the Middle East based on rumors?  Especially ones she perpetrates.  If only she had read the AP report which was published five days before the hearing.

Back to the academic leaders.  They do not need to take sides in this debate.  They need to lead by giving direction to the debate. And ensuring it is based on facts, not rumors and false assumptions.  It might even be a great practicum opportunity for students to hone their research and analytical skills.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP