Calay News
Harvard University President Claudine Gay, who faced criticism for her statements on handling anti-Semitism amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, will remain in her position after receiving support from a higher body within the institution on Tuesday.
Gay faced backlash for refusing to categorically state during a recent congressional hearing that students calling for the “genocide of Jews” on campus violate student conduct codes. Responding to lawmakers, she stated, “It depends on the context,” prompting immediate calls for her resignation, along with two other distinguished academics from the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Harvard’s Corporation, one of the university’s top bodies, reaffirmed its “support for President Gay’s continued leadership at Harvard University” in a statement. However, it criticized the university’s initial response to the Hamas attack on October 7, in which, according to Israel, 1,200 people died and 240 were taken hostage.
The Israeli response, marked by incessant and intense bombings, left large areas of Hamas-ruled Gaza in ruins, resulting in over 18,000 deaths, mostly women and children, according to the local Health Ministry.
The Corporation emphasized that calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values. It acknowledged President Gay’s apology for her handling of testimony in Congress and clarified her comments.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has fueled tensions at prestigious US universities, including Harvard, UPenn (Philadelphia), and Columbia (New York), where two pro-Palestinian student groups have been suspended. Pressure on Gay increased after the resignation of the University of Pennsylvania President, Elizabeth Magill, on Saturday.
Gay, the first black woman at the helm of Harvard, received support from 700 professors, who criticized the crisis management but urged resistance against “political pressures.” Following her initial statements, Gay clarified that calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community or any other ethnic or religious group are despicable.
