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More Antisemitism: UK Paper Cites Role of ‘Jewish Donors’ in Harvard President’s Resignation

Then-Harvard University President Dr. Claudine Gay delivers remarks on Dec. 5, 2023, during the House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on the recent rise in antisemitism on college campuses. Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

On Jan. 2, Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard University, amidst mounting evidence that she committed plagiarism throughout her academic career, and in the aftermath of her damaging testimony to Congress last month, where she refused to say whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s code of conduct. Gay, the first Black person to lead Harvard, will continue to work as a professor at the university.

The Congressional hearing, which also included the testimony of University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, a white woman, who also wouldn’t say if calling for Jewish genocide violated university rules, and who resigned shortly thereafter, was held in response to a surge in antisemitism at these campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre. The discrimination against Jews at Harvard made national headlines, and prompted an official investigation by the US Department of Education.

Within 24 hours of Gay’s resignation, The Guardian found the culprit responsible for her resignation. It wasn’t her reported plagiarism or the antisemitism on her campus, but, rather, wealthy Jewish donors. The op-ed, (“Powerful donors managed to push out Harvard’s Claudine Gay. But at what cost?”, Jan. 3), was written by frequent Guardian contributor Robert Reich, a former US Labor Secretary and currently a professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

After claiming that he’s not in a position to comment on the dozens of plagiarism allegations, Reich gets to the heart of his argument, writing that the particularly troubling aspect of Gay and McGill’s resignation concerns the clout of wealthy alumni, who were angry with both presidents for “not coming out more clearly against Hamas and in defense of Israel.”He then proceeds to list a few such alumni and donors who, he claims, called for their resignation. Three of those he named, including Bill Ackman (an alumni and former donor, but not a Board member), are Jewish.

Ackman was reported to have made a donation to Harvard worth $25 million. To put that into context, Harvard’s overall assets are $51 billion. So, though the hedge fund manager has been extremely vocal over the Gay controversy, his influence appears to have been minimal.

Moreover, as even a detailed piece on Gay’s resignation in the New York Times makes clear, “For weeks the [Harvard] board had stood by its embattled president as she dealt with withering criticism of her tepid response to antisemitism on campus, her disastrous testimony before a House panel and mounting allegations of plagiarism in her academic work,” noting a Dec. 12 statement by the corporation expressing support for Gay.

It wasn’t until Dec. 19, when “new allegations of more than 40 examples of plagiarism in Dr. Gay’s academic work emerged,” that the sentiments of the Board began to change, purportedly, according to the Times due to the influence of Timothy R. Barakett, Harvard’s treasurer, as well as Board member Paul J. Finnegan. A Wall Street Journal article also cited the influence of Tracy Palandjian, a member of the Harvard Corporation. None of these three are Jewish.

Though the religious affiliation of Board members, donors, and alumni who sought Gay’s resignation shouldn’t matter, the timeline of the Board’s changing views on whether Gay should remain president, as well as the religious background of those who influenced the Board’s evolving views, undermines Reich’s suggestion that she was forced out due to Jewish Harvard influencers upset about her position on Israel.

This fact is even more pertinent given how Reich ends his Guardian piece:

…until now have major donors so brazenly used their financial influence to hound presidents out of office for failing to come out as clearly as the donors would like on an issue of campus speech or expression.

As a Jew, I also cannot help but worry that the actions of these donors — many of them Jewish, many from Wall Street — could fuel the very antisemitism they claim to oppose, based on the age-old stereotype of wealthy Jewish bankers controlling the world. [emphasis added]

Reich’s wording is curious to say the least.

He purports to oppose the antisemitic stereotype of “wealthy Jewish bankers controlling the world” while simultaneously going out of his way to highlight the Jewish background of a few Harvard Board members, alumni, or donors who he claims (falsely) were instrumental in bringing down Gay. But, even if “many” of the donors instrumental in Gay’s resignation were “Jewish,” why would that matter?

One of the most fundamental truths about antisemitism is that Jewish behavior doesn’t cause antisemitism — just as, for example, white racism towards Black Americans isn’t caused by Black behavior. It’s a shame that this even needs to be stated, but antisemites — and antisemites alone — are solely responsible for their racist attitudes towards Jews, even if they’re “wealthy Jewish donors.”

Adam Levick serves as co-editor of CAMERA UK — an affiliate of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), where a version of this article first appeared.

The post More Antisemitism: UK Paper Cites Role of ‘Jewish Donors’ in Harvard President’s Resignation first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival

Revellers dance as Avril Lavigne performs on the Other Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

i24 News – Chants of “death to the IDF” were heard during the English Glastonbury music festival on Saturday ahead of the appearance of the pro-Palestinian Irish rappers Kneecap.

One half of punk duo based Bob Vylan (who both use aliases to protect their privacy) shouted out during a section of their show “Death to the IDF” – the Israeli military. Videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the crowd responding to and repeating the cheer.

This comes after officials had petitioned the music festival to drop the band. The rap duo also expressed support for the following act, Kneecap, who the BCC refused to show live after one of its members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – better known by stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terror offense.

The post Pro-Palestinian Rapper Leads ‘Death to the IDF’ Chant at English Music festival first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Rubio Holds First Meeting with Hostage Families, Urges End to Gaza War

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard

i24 News – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held on Friday his first meeting with the families of the hostages still held in Gaza since taking office in January, telling the loved ones that a “real victory” can only occur in Gaza when the remaining hostages are returned.

Those in attendance included Omri Miran’s brother-in-law; Evyatar David’s brother; Hadar Goldin’s brother; and Iair Horn, who himself is a freed hostage, with his brother Eitan still held by Hamas in Gaza.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, they urged the current US administration for a “bold decision.” “We’ve waited long enough,” the family members said. “It’s time to make brave decisions and bring all our loved ones back—all at once.”

Rubio, in turn, expressed the Trump administration’s “unwavering commitment” in rescuing the 49 remaining hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

This meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that he believes a ceasefire will be reached between Israel and Hamas “within the next week.”

The post Rubio Holds First Meeting with Hostage Families, Urges End to Gaza War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Trump Says He Would Consider Bombing Iran Again, Drops Sanctions Relief Plan

US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, on Friday, dropped plans to lift sanctions on Iran and said he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to worrisome levels.

Trump reacted sternly to Khamanei’s first remarks after a 12-day conflict with Israel that ended when the United States launched bombing raids last weekend against Iranian nuclear sites.

Khamanei said Iran “slapped America in the face” by launching an attack against a major US base in Qatar following the US bombing raids. Khamanei also said Iran would never surrender.

Trump said he had spared Khamanei’s life. US officials told Reuters on June 15 that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader.

“His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,” Trump said in a social media post.

“I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH,” he said.

Iran said a potential nuclear deal was conditional on the US ending its “disrespectful tone” toward the Supreme Leader.

“If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X in the early hours of Saturday.

Trump also said that in recent days he had been working on the possible removal of sanctions on Iran to give it a chance for a speedy recovery. He said he had now abandoned that effort.

“I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” he said.

Trump said at a White House news conference that he did not rule out attacking Iran again, when asked about the possibility of new bombing of Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point.

“Sure, without question, absolutely,” he said.

Trump said he would like inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency – the U.N. nuclear watchdog – or another respected source to be able to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites after they were bombed last weekend.

Trump has rejected any suggestion that damage to the sites was not as profound as he has said.

The IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, said on Wednesday that ensuring the resumption of IAEA inspections was his top priority as none had taken place since Israel began bombing on June 13.

However, Iran’s parliament approved moves on Wednesday to suspend such inspections. Araqchi indicated on Friday that Tehran may reject any request by the head of the agency for visits to Iranian nuclear sites.

Trump said Iran still wants to meet about the way forward. The White House had said on Thursday that no meeting between the U.S. and an Iranian delegation has been scheduled thus far.

The post Trump Says He Would Consider Bombing Iran Again, Drops Sanctions Relief Plan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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