Capital District Times

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) have expressed significant concerns over the preliminary recommendations issued by Harvard University’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism. The recommendations, released on June 6, have been criticized by Jewish leaders at Harvard and alumni for failing to address faculty issues, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) concerns, and for not ending Harvard's relationship with Birzeit University in the West Bank.

In a letter to Harvard Interim President Alan Garber, the lawmakers stated: “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.”

They further added: “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.”

The letter was also signed 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.