Former Harvard President Larry Summers Has 'Lost Confidence' In University Leadership To Maintain It As 'A Place Where Jews And Israelis Can Flourish'

Harvard University released a statement on Friday by interim President Alan Garber announcing the establishment of a new task force to address anti-Semitism on campus. However, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers expressed dissatisfaction with the initiative.

What Happened: Summers served as president of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006 and also attended the university as a graduate student, earning his Ph.D. there in 1982. 

He stated on X on Sunday, “I have lost confidence in the determination and ability of the Harvard Corporation and Harvard leadership to maintain Harvard as a place where Jews and Israelis can flourish.” 

He noted that the previous advisory committee, led by Rabbi David Wolpe, has been disbanded, and the university has not yet chosen members for the new task force.

After Friday's new anti-Semitism task force announcement, I have lost confidence in the determination and ability of the Harvard Corporation and Harvard leadership to maintain Harvard as a place where Jews and Israelis can flourish.

The previously touted advisory committee has…

— Lawrence H. Summers (@LHSummers) January 21, 2024

Concerns About Penslar: Summers raised concerns about the potential appointment of Zionism scholar Professor Derek Penslar as a co-chair of the task force. 

While acknowledging Penslar’s goodwill, Summers argued that Penslar is unsuited to lead a task force combating anti-Semitism. He pointed to Penslar’s public statements minimizing Harvard’s anti-Semitism problem, rejecting the U.S. government’s definition of anti-Semitism, advocating for the concept of settler colonialism in analyzing Israel, and referring to the country as an apartheid state.

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“None of this in my view is problematic for a professor at Harvard or even for a member of the task force but for the co-chair of an anti-Semitism task force that is being paralleled with an Islamophobia task force, it seems highly problematic,” Summers said. “Could one imagine Harvard appointing as head of anti-racism task force someone who had minimized the racism problem or who had argued against federal anti-racism efforts?”

Double Standard Critique: Summers criticized the rumored appointment as “an example of a double standard between anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice.” 

He expressed hope that Penslar would step away from serving as co-chair and urged Harvard’s leadership to recognize and address the credibility issues associated with the appointment.

Negative Consequences: Anti-Semitism at Harvard has sparked controversy, leading to the resignation of former Harvard President Claudine Gay due to her handling of the issue and allegations of plagiarism. 

Summers highlighted the negative consequences, including Harvard’s ranking as the worst institution for anti-Semitism by the MCHA, Title VI litigation, and investigations by both Congress and the Executive Branch. The economist also noted that the university suffered “worse admissions drop off than any major university in memory because of the events of last semester.”

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Photo by Brookings Institution on Flickr