Ivy League presidents reckon with swift backlash to remarks on campus antisemitism

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Much of the blowback centered on a heated line of questioning from Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who repeatedly asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate each university's code of conduct. Gay responded to the question in a similar manner, saying that when “speech crosses into conduct, that violates our policies.” Kornbluth responded that she had not heard calling for the genocide of Jews on MIT’s campus, and that speech “targeted at individuals, not making public statements,” would be considered harassment. “It’s evil, plain and simple.” Magill called for a review of Penn’s policies, which she said have long been guided by the U.S. Constitution but need to be “clarified and evaluated” as hate spreads across campus and around the world “in a way not seen in years.” In a statement posted Wednesday by Harvard on X, formerly Twitter, Gay condemned calls for violence against Jewish students. “Any statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting — and we should all stand firmly against them, on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans.” Even prior to the hearing Tuesday before the Republican-led House Education and Workforce Committee, Stefanik has called for Gay's resignation in response to events that have occurred on campus since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.