A display of anti-Israel posters by students at Harvard. Courtesy of Harvard College PSC

This essay was adapted from a speech given Friday night at Harvard Hillel.

I’m told that in this week’s Torah portion, God tells Abraham that Abraham will “be a blessing.” Not that Abraham will receive a blessing, but that he will be one  in the lives of others. That he will take an active role in bringing light into a world that is so often full of darkness. 

That responsibility to be a blessing – to bring light, to each other and to the world—resonates with me, and with my hopes for Harvard. 

The past few weeks have been full of darkness. First came the horrific terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, in which over 1,400 Jewish people were murdered by Hamas, and more than 200 others were taken hostage. Then came the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

Here in the U.S., we are witnessing a surge in anti-Jewish incidents and rhetoric across the nation — and on our own campus. The ancient specter of antisemitism, that persistent and corrosive hatred, has returned with renewed force.

A recent ADL report  found that incidents of antisemitism had almost tripled over the past six years nationally. Here at Harvard, I’ve heard story after story of Jewish students feeling increasingly uneasy or even threatened on campus.

As we grapple with this resurgence of bigotry, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: Antisemitism has no place at Harvard. 

For years, this university has done too little to confront its continuing presence. No longer. 

I am committed to tackling this pernicious hatred with the urgency it demands. 

Harvard’s mission, and legacy, is the pursuit and dissemination of truth. And the core of antisemitism is a lie This lie has taken many forms, including Holocaust denial,  blood libels, conspiracy theories and the  denial of the Jewish peoples’ historical ties to the land of Israel. 

Harvard is a place for inquiry and vigorous debate about our world’s greatest challenges. A place to reveal truth, not to deny facts.

To begin the vital work of eradicating antisemitism from our community, I have assembled a group of advisers whose wisdom, experience, and counsel will help guide us forward. These trusted voices include Jewish members of the faculty, alumni, and religious leaders.

 In the coming weeks, I will work with these advisers and Harvard administrators to frame an agenda and strategy for combating antisemitism on campus. They will help us to think expansively and concretely about all the ways that antisemitism shows in our campus culture. They will help us to identify all the places where we can intervene to disrupt and dismantle this ideology, and where we can educate our community to recognize and confront antisemitism. 

They will help us find opportunities to foster the empathy, literacy, and understanding across identities and beliefs that we need to be the Harvard the world is calling for and that our community deserves. 

Our Jewish students have shared searing accounts of feeling isolated and targeted. This shakes me to my core – as an educator, as a mother, as a human being. Harvard must be a place where everyone feels safe and seen. It is the right thing to do.

The amount of work before us may seem daunting. And I know the goal that I have set for this institution will not be achieved tomorrow. Any problem that has been allowed to fester for this long will defy easy remedy. 

Where we go from here will require courage, humility, and perseverance. It will demand fearless self-reflection about our own assumptions and biases. But we have done this before. 

We have confronted legacies of injustice in the past and emerged stronger. Guided by our shared values, and our love for Harvard, I have faith we can turn pain into durable, hard-won progress. 

By lifting each other up and speaking truth even when difficult, the light of justice will scatter the shadows of hate and antisemitism.

I ask for your partnership in this effort. There is so much important work to be done, but I have never been more hopeful that Harvard can lead the way. I am confident that we can rise to the challenge once given to Abraham, to become the blessing needed for our shared future. 

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount