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Harvard’s Report Is Finally Enough for Media to Admit Antisemitism Exists on Campus … Or Is It?
Supporters of the Palestine Solidarity Committee at Harvard University. Photo: Harvard PSC
Antisemitism on US college campuses is in the news again, and this time, most of the media are contradicting themselves.
Harvard University’s final report by the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias was released amid pressure by the US administration on Harvard and other universities to crack down on antisemitic violence and bias.
The task force conducted 50 listening sessions with some 500 people, with the aim of collecting testimonies and an insight into the antisemitism occurring on campus.
Using Anti-Zionist Jews as Fuel to Diminish a Report on Antisemitism
Despite the report’s publication, NBC continued to invalidate the Jewish experience on Harvard’s campus:
Out of all of the Jewish students and faculty members this reporter could have spoken with, she chose Violet Barron, a self-proclaimed anti-Zionist Jew and founder of Jews for Palestine on campus. She was, unsurprisingly, unhappy with the Harvard report, having been heavily involved in anti-Israel campus protests.
Other anti-Zionist Jews also gave testimonies. Perhaps NBC might have been interested in the one who reported on how uncomfortable they were when they heard their peers glorifying terrorism.
There are some people who have glorified what happened on Oct 7th. That was triggering and harmful for me. [Undergraduate involved in anti-Zionist campus organizing]
The Guardian Tokenizes Anti-Zionist Jews
The Guardian acknowledged the findings of the Harvard report. However, the UK outlet is nothing but consistent. In 2024, at the peak of campus clashes, it published an opinion piece by Jewish anti-Zionist Arielle Angel, which referred to protests as “non-violent” and antisemitism as Jewish “discomfort” that has “justified a powerful attack on academic freedom and First Amendment rights.” Angel also insisted that “crackdowns” on the illegal encampments are part of a right-wing agenda.
Continuing the trend, The Guardian published another op-ed, this time by an anti-Zionist Jewish Harvard professor, Atalia Omer, on Friday — just a week and a half after the Harvard antisemitism report was released.
Omer writes, “Harvard is conflating Jewish identity with political loyalty to Israel. That’s a dangerous mistake.”
Omer continues:
The report was compiled and published in response to widespread pressure from donors and pro-Israel advocacy groups. It claims to document a crisis of antisemitism on campus. But what it actually reveals is Harvard’s willingness to redefine Jewish identity in narrow, ideological terms: to exclude and erase Jews who dissent from Zionism.
Finding an “under-represented” point of view doesn’t change the reality for the majority of Jewish Americans and Israelis at Harvard and other universities. It is also bold and offensive to invalidate the official IHRA working definition of antisemitism.
But it seems to fit The Guardian’s narrative — that the antisemitism “crisis” is alleged. It accuses the university of giving in to “pressure” to allow anti-Zionism to be included under the umbrella of antisemitism as the IHRA defines it.
If anti-Zionism isn’t antisemitism, then why are we witnessing Nazi swastikas and Hamas’ red triangles tagged on Jewish homes and institutions? Why are visibly Jewish students being harassed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators? Why are Jewish students being forced to defend their identities and their connection to Israel in the face of politics and war out of their control? Why are we being told that Zionism is racism?
Other Coverage of the Harvard Antisemitism Report
Outlets like The New York Times and CNN wrote in-depth articles on the report. They detailed its findings, along with its recommendations for how to encourage a more tolerant atmosphere on campus.
They did a pretty thorough job this time, but it’s worth remembering that when chaos and clashes were at their peak, the media attempted to “both side” the events and significantly minimize what Jewish students endured.
There should be no doubt — antisemitism ran rampant on Harvard’s campus. It still does. The media just refused to accept it at face value, and news consumers may have been misled.
Unfortunately, what was missing in these in-depth pieces was a reminder that Harvard is just one school out of many across the country (Columbia University being a significant one) that suffered a massive spike in antisemitism and violence against Jews and Israelis.
The media were often concerned with “free speech” and “censorship.” This has gone beyond that.
Here are some of the more disturbing occurrences testified to by Harvard’s students and faculty, which took place over the last year and a half. The media failed to report on it last year.
This included online bullying via a Harvard social discussion board on the Sidechat platform:
The comments were so awful, along lines of “Israel deserved what they were getting,” many people in support of Hamas. There was no room for conversation because of the anonymity… People in support of Jewish identities got downvoted. Anything in support of Hamas would be upvoted. – [Undergraduate student]
This testimony describes the true intentions of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) groups:
The strategy used by BDS groups involves encouraging students and faculty to avoid normalizing relations with Jewish students. This involves social shaming, which is a particularly harmful tactic in academia. [Undergraduate student]
This frightening testimony concerns fear of harassment and ostracization reminiscent of 1930s Germany:
I feel lucky I don’t look Jewish. I know if I do the “wrong thing” I might get the antisemitism. So, put your headphones in, make sure you’re not outwardly Jewish, and just walk to class. [Undergraduate student]
First Amendment rights and free speech should also hold a different weight at private institutions. Students should feel safe to hold an Israeli flag on campus, just as pro-Palestinian students hold the Palestinian flag and express their opinions.
We shouldn’t need a 300-plus page report to get the media to report on it correctly. More than 300 pages of evidence are also more than enough to understand the connection between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Harvard’s Report Is Finally Enough for Media to Admit Antisemitism Exists on Campus … Or Is It? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel’s Supreme Court Orders Improved Food for Security Prisoners
Israel’s Supreme Court. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday instructed the Prison Service (Shabas) to guarantee adequate food supplies for security prisoners, ruling that current conditions fall short of minimum legal standards. The decision followed an appeal filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
In a 2–1 ruling, the court found that the food situation posed “a risk of non-compliance with legal standards.” Justice Dafna Barak-Erez stressed that the matter concerned “basic conditions necessary for survival, as required by law,” not comfort or privilege. Justice Ofer Grosskopf agreed, noting the state had not shown the policy was consistently applied to all inmates.
Justice David Mintz dissented, maintaining that the existing policy already met legal requirements.
The court underscored that Israel’s legal obligations remain binding, even in light of the ongoing hostage crisis in Gaza and the fact that many of the prisoners include Hamas members involved in the October 7, 2023 attack.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the ruling, arguing that while hostages in Gaza lack protection, “terrorist murderers, kidnappers, and rapists in prison” benefit from the Court’s intervention. He added that prisoners would continue receiving only the minimum conditions required by law.
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Ukrainian Government Building Set Ablaze in Record Russian Airstrike
Illustrative. More damage caused by the Russian drone that hit the Perlina school in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 30, 2024. Photo: Jewish community JCC in Kyiv, Kyiv municipality, and Yan Dobronosov
i24 News – The Ukrainian government’s main building in Kyiv was hit overnight Saturday by Russian airstrikes for the first time since the war, igniting a fire in the building, authorities said. Firefighters are working to put out the flames.
“The government building was damaged by an enemy attack — the roof and upper floors,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said. The blaze is is burning in the area of the office of the prime minister.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 805 drones and 13 missiles overnight on Ukraine — a record number since the start of the war.
Also as a result of the strike, a baby and a young woman were killed after a nine-story residential building was hit in the Svyatoshynsky district, also in Kyiv. Rescuers are still looking for a third body, authorities said. A woman was also reported killed in the strike in Novopavlivka village.
“The world must respond to this destruction not only with words, but also with actions. We need to increase sanctions pressure – primarily against Russian oil and gas. We need new restrictions that will hit the Kremlin’s military machine. And most importantly, Ukraine needs weapons. Something that will stop the terror and prevent Russia from trying to kill Ukrainians every day,” wrote Sviridenko after the attack.
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‘Trump’s Legacy Crumbles’: Israelis Call on US President to End Gaza War
Israeli protestors take part in a rally demanding the immediate release of the hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, and the end of war in Gaza, in Jerusalem September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, issuing direct appeals to US President Donald Trump to force an end to the Gaza war and secure the release of the hostages.
Protesters packed a public square outside the military headquarters, waving Israeli flags and holding placards with images of the hostages. Some carried signs, including one that read: ‘Trump’s legacy crumbles as the Gaza war persists.’
Another said: “PRESIDENT TRUMP, SAVE THE HOSTAGES NOW!”
“We think that Trump is the only man in the world who has authority over Bibi, that can force Bibi to do this,” said Tel Aviv resident Boaz, 40, referring to the Israeli prime minister.
There is growing despair among many Israelis at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has ordered the military to capture a major urban center where hostages may be held.
Families of the hostages and their supporters fear the assault on Gaza City could endanger their loved ones, a concern the military leadership shares, according to Israeli officials.
Orna Neutra, the mother of an Israeli soldier who was killed on October 7, 2023 and whose body is being held in Gaza by militants, accused the government of abandoning its citizens.
“We truly hope that the United States will push both sides to finally reach a comprehensive deal that will bring them home,” she told the rally. Her son, Omer, is also American.
Tel Aviv has witnessed weekly demonstrations that have grown in size, with protesters demanding that the government secure a ceasefire with Hamas to obtain the release of hostages. Organizers said Saturday night’s rally was attended by tens of thousands. A large demonstration was also held in Jerusalem.
There are 48 hostages held in Gaza. Israeli officials believe that around 20 are still alive. Palestinian terrorists abducted 251 people from Israel on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led its attack. Most of the hostages who have been released were freed after indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
NO PURPOSE
Trump had pledged a swift end to the war in Gaza during his presidential campaign, but nearly eight months into his second term, a resolution has remained elusive. On Friday, he said that Washington was engaged in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas.
Israeli forces have carried out heavy strikes on the suburbs of Gaza City, where, according to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are facing famine. Israeli officials acknowledge that hunger exists in Gaza but deny that the territory is facing famine. On Saturday, the military warned civilians in Gaza City to leave and move to southern Gaza.
There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in the city that was home to around a million before the war.
A video released by Hamas on Friday featured Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, saying that he was being held in Gaza City and feared being killed by the military’s assault on the city. Rights groups have condemned such videos of hostages as inhumane. Israel says that it is psychological warfare.
The war has become unpopular among some segments of Israeli society, and opinion polls show that most Israelis want Netanyahu’s right-wing government to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with Hamas that secures the release of the hostages.
“The war has no purpose at all, except for violence and death,” said Boaz from Tel Aviv. Adam, 48, said it had become obvious that soldiers were being sent to war for “nothing.”
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since it launched its retaliatory war after Hamas fighters attacked Israel from Gaza in October 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed in that attack on southern Israel.
The terrorist group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but today controls only parts of the enclave, on Saturday once again said that it would release all hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza.
Netanyahu is pushing for an all-or-nothing deal that would see all of the hostages released at once and Hamas surrendering.
The prime minister has said Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold and capturing it is necessary to defeat the Palestinian militant group, whose October 2023 attack on Israel led to the war.
Hamas has acknowledged it would no longer govern Gaza once the war ends but has refused to discuss laying down its weapons.