Harvard Students Implore Alum Jared Kushner to Rein Trump In

By Daniel J. Solomon February 1, 2017

Harvard students are imploring White House senior adviser Jared Kushner to be “true to his school,” urging in him in an open letter to ensure that President Donald Trump upholds values of tolerance and openness cherished by the university community.

“We, the undersigned graduates of Harvard College, are your classmates and roommates, friends and acquaintances. We do not have the President’s ear, but you do, and we hope that we have yours,” the petition read.

“We appeal to you to influence the Trump Administration, and Mr. Trump himself, in a positive way,” the letter continued, listing concerns about the new president’s policies on immigration, gay rights, racial minorities, climate change and the press. “Harvard’s motto is simple. It is just a single word: Veritas. Truth… It is the guiding value of your alma mater; let it be a value in the Administration as well.”

The petition has been circulating on social media, though it is not clear how many have signed or who drew it up. Harvard, like other university campuses, has seen a rash of protest activity since the election of Trump.

Kushner attended Harvard as an undergraduate, a surprise to many of those who saw him as an average student in high school. His father, Charles Kushner, made multi-million-dollar gifts to the university.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO