Harvard University is conducting an investigation after faculty, staff, and student organizations shared a cartoon containing antisemitic tropes.
This was posted today by ‘Harvard faculty and staff for justice in Palestine.’ The cartoon is despicably, inarguably antisemitic. Is there no limit? pic.twitter.com/maMYwXJ7rz
— David Wolpe (@RabbiWolpe) February 19, 2024
Multiple Harvard organizations posted an infographic featuring a depiction of a hand adorned with the Star of David and a dollar sign, gripping ropes around the necks of two non-white men. Another arm is depicted wielding a machete to sever the ropes, with accompanying text reading "Third World" beside the arm and "Liberation Movement" on the machete.
“African people have a profound understanding of apartheid and occupation,” the infographic says. “The historical roots of solidarity between Black liberation movements and Palestinian liberation began in the late 1960s. This period was marked by a heightened awareness among Black organizations in the United States.”
“The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee likened Zionism to an imperial project," the infographic continued, "while the Black Panther Party aligned itself with the Palestinian resistance, framing both struggles as a unified front against racism, Zionism, and imperialism.”
The cartoon originally appeared in a June-July 1967 newsletter of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The Instagram post has since been deleted.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and the African and African American Resistance Organization shared the infographic, as did the Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.
National Review has more:
The Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine has since deleted the infographic with the cartoon from its Instagram account and issued an apology.
“It has come to our attention that a post featuring antiquated cartoons which used offensive antisemitic tropes was linked to our account. We removed the content as soon as it came to our attention,” reads the statement. “We apologize for the hurt that these images have caused and do not condone them in any way. Harvard FSJP stands against all forms of hate and bigotry, including antisemitism.”
The Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and the African and African American Resistance Organization deleted the image and jointly released an apology.
“In an earlier version of this post we shared an image that was not reflective of our values as organizations,” reads the apology from the two organizations. “We reiterate our unending support for solidarity between Black and Palestinian communities and have updated our post to reflect what we stand for. Our mutual goals for liberation will always include the Jewish community — and we regret inadvertently including an image that played upon antisemitic tropes.”
“The University is aware of social media posts today containing deeply offensive antisemitic tropes and messages from organizations whose membership includes Harvard affiliates,” Harvard said in a statement shared on Instagram. “Such despicable messages have no place in the Harvard community. We condemn these posts in the strongest possible terms.”
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The exposure of rampant antisemitism on Harvard's campus in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel has significantly hurt the university's reputation. It has not only experienced a significant drop in applications, but deep-pocketed donors have also stopped donating to the school. This latest incident shows that antisemitism is still a major problem on campus, no matter how much the school pretends it is not.
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