Garber announces new initiatives to fight antisemitism, anti-Israeli bias

Harvard University will build upon its previous work, as well as launch new initiatives and actions, to combat antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, President Alan M. Garber announced on Tuesday. The actions laid out by Garber come in conjunction with the release of the final report and recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias.

In his community message, Garber thanked the members of the task force “for pursuing their work with a spirit of openness, empathy, and compassion during a period of unrest within our community,” noting that their report is “the product of strenuous, prolonged efforts by some of the most generous and dedicated citizens of our University.”

The actions announced by Garber focus on three main areas: nurturing a widespread sense of belonging and promoting respectful dialogue; revising and implementing policies, procedures, and training; and strengthening academic and residential life. Building upon work the University has done over the last 15 months, the new actions include launching a major initiative to promote viewpoint diversity; dedicating resources to the creation of a research project focused on antisemitism; further review of disciplinary policies and procedures to assess their effectiveness and efficiency; and the expansion of resources to directly support students who experience antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

Harvard’s Schools are actively reviewing task force recommendations concerning admissions, appointments, curriculum, and orientation and training programs, including those organized by recognized student groups. Deans will work to strengthen existing academic review processes for courses and curricula to ensure that they uphold the highest standards of academic excellence and intellectual rigor. Action plans designed for the College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and each professional School will be shared with the president’s office by the end of the spring term.

“The scope of recommendations made by both task forces underscores the breadth of the challenges we face. They must be addressed with determination at every level of the University by effectively tackling issues that arise where our students congregate or live; ensuring that expectations for both students and teachers in the classroom are clearly communicated and met; nurturing vibrant debate and open speech in ways that encourage everyone to express their ideas freely; preserving the right to protest and dissent while avoiding disruption, harassment, and threats; and, when our policies are violated, ensuring that our disciplinary processes are fair, consistent, and effective. If we intend to make significant and durable change across Harvard, it is critical that we act decisively in each of these areas,” Garber wrote in his message.

The release of the task force’s report and recommendations caps off an effort that began in spring 2024 to document the experiences of Jewish and Israeli students, faculty, and staff on campus.

Through a series of listening sessions, as well as an online survey last spring and summer, the task force gathered extensive feedback from students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Members were not charged with investigating the reports they heard, though participants were advised of University policies under which they could file formal complaints. Stories are described in the report as they were heard. The task force also completed a comprehensive historical analysis of the Jewish experience at Harvard from the 1920s to present. 

The report includes findings and a set of recommendations designed to address antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias across the University. By reviewing concerns about select courses, events, and programs, the report also identifies specific areas where the task force feels the University can improve its approach to teaching about Israel and Palestine and to ensuring that all students feel free to express their opinions without fear or reservation.

Research and findings

The task force, whose members were appointed in late February 2024, began their work by hosting in March and April 2024 a series of listening sessions with students, staff, and faculty. Nearly 50 sessions were held with about 500 participants. Following the listening sessions, the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias joined with the Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias in jointly issuing a University-wide survey.

From those who attended the listening sessions, several themes emerged related to the Jewish and Israeli experience on campus. Most notable was the deterioration of the campus climate after the terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Jewish students in general, and those who identify as Zionist in particular, felt that the climate had become less welcoming, even leading some to conceal their religious identity. Feelings of rejection and marginalization were common among Israeli students.

“The listening sessions provided a window into the real-time experience of Jewish students on campus, both inside the classroom and within the larger campus community,” said Jared Ellias, task force co-chair and the Scott C. Collins Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. “While specific incidents of antisemitism are of significant concern, there is also this larger issue of Jewish students feeling less of a sense of belonging at Harvard and less comfortable expressing their true selves and true identities.

The task force further explored programs, events, and courses at specific Schools that were perceived to be unbalanced in their approach to Israel and Palestine. In the report, task force members signal concern about these offerings and whether they are consistent with Harvard’s standards for excellence and academic integrity. The authors also argue that perceived bias in academic settings directly impacts the sense of belonging Jewish and Israeli students feel on campus. 

The online survey of the Harvard community indicated that, across nearly every category, Jewish student respondents reported greater levels of discomfort and alienation than their Christian or atheist/agnostic peers. Though the number of individuals responding to the survey was not as high as similar University-wide surveys, the data allowed for a meaningful examination of the differences in responses by subgroup. Of the 2,295 respondents, 477 identified as Jewish. Jewish student respondents reported higher levels of concern about their physical and mental safety. They were also more likely to feel uncomfortable expressing their opinions and, in particular, their political opinions.

“Harvard makes a point of recruiting amazing students, staff, and faculty from all over the country and the world, and our work suggests that at some point in the recent past we stopped looking for ways to connect with one another as Harvard community members and started focusing on the issues that divide us,” Ellias said. “All the faculty on the task force were very surprised at how much student life had changed since we were college students.” 

Many student respondents expressed concern about the University’s response to incidents of bias and were critical of both policies and the timeliness of responses. These concerns and experiences were exacerbated by what they saw from their classmates and, in some cases, teachers, on social media, which often served to amplify hostility and hateful rhetoric.

In addition to the qualitative and quantitative findings, the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias conducted a historical analysis of the Jewish experience at Harvard. This experience, the authors say, has been shaped by both the number of Jewish students on campus and the influence of world events on dialogue, discussion, and activism. The report finds the decline of respectful engagement regarding Israel and Palestine to be deeply troublesome and a significant contributing factor to the current campus climate. 

“The historical analysis provided us with a unique lens into how the Jewish experience at Harvard has changed over time,” said Derek Penslar, co-chair of the task force and the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “It is clear that world events have often influenced campus events and activities. However, it also became clear that civil discourse on the issue of Israel and Palestine has declined over time, signaling to the faculty that we must help our students learn to engage with each other in respectful ways even when we disagree.” 

Final recommendations

In June 2024, the task force issued a set of preliminary recommendations that identified near-term opportunities to address areas of concern prior to the 2024-25 academic year. Those recommendations asked leadership to clarify University values; act against discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hate; improve student disciplinary processes; implement antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias education and training; foster constructive dialogue; and support Jewish life on campus.

The University rolled out a series of changes, including new campus and protest rules; centralized fact-finding in discipline cases across Schools; new training opportunities for faculty, staff, and students on identifying and preventing antisemitism; and new initiatives in the Schools for constructive dialogue and disagreement across differences.

In the final report, the task force has expanded upon these preliminary recommendations. The final recommendations fall into the following categories: 

Admissions and early student experiences: The task force recommends a focus on attracting and admitting students who are eager to contribute to a learning community that is grounded in open inquiry and mutual respect. The report adds that once on campus, the University should ensure that these values and aspirations are emphasized in early student experiences.

Academics and academic offerings: The task force calls for the University to strive to ensure a classroom experience that is free from antisemitism, anti-Israeli bias, and all forms of discrimination. Moreover, the report recommends that the University’s academic offerings should include significantly more plentiful and diverse opportunities for the study of Jewish civilization, antisemitism and the Holocaust, Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Co-curricular activities and residential life and pluralism: The task force recommends providing student organizations with support and guidance to ensure that their activities do not have antisemitic or anti-Israeli impacts, so that their activities enhance the Harvard learning community. According to the task force, this recommendation goes hand in hand with building a pluralistic community in which students can express diverse opinions and viewpoints. 

Religious life: The task force recommends steps to strengthen religious life on campus, better supporting Jewish students and students of all faiths.

Administrative infrastructure and complaint mechanisms: The task force recommends a robust administrative infrastructure to support and coordinate efforts. This recommendation includes efforts to strengthen complaint mechanisms and to develop equitable disciplinary procedures across Schools.

Oversight: The task force calls for changes related to governance issues to strengthen ladder faculty oversight of educational programs and instructor training across Schools. 

---

Read the full report of the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, as well as President Garber’s message about the new University action plan, and more information on the action steps Harvard has taken to respond to the concerns, information, and recommendations shared by the task force.