Harvard Antisemitism Sparks Hogan’s Fellowship Withdrawal

In a bold move, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) withdrew from two Harvard fellowship programs due to the prevalence of anti-Semitic sentiments on campus following a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Hogan had accepted fellowships at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health just months ago.

This decision comes after more than 30 Harvard student organizations signed a statement blaming Israel for the Hamas attack. This statement led to a national backlash, with CEOs vowing not to hire any of the participating students upon graduation and companies rescinding job offers.

In a letter to Harvard, Hogan expressed that he was looking forward to sharing leadership lessons with the next generation of leaders but could no longer participate in light of the current situation. The former governor stated, “I cannot condone the dangerous anti-Semitism that has taken root on your campus,” adding that the attack was “the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust” and should be “universally condemned as exactly what it is: Pure evil.”

The Harvard student statement held the “Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” This claim drew criticism from various corners, including Hogan, who emphasized that while students have the right to free speech, “they do not have a right to have hate speech go unchallenged” by the university. Hogan called Harvard’s failure to immediately and forcefully denounce the student’s statement “a moral stain on the University.”

Harvard President Claudine Gay responded to the incident, condemning Hamas’s violence and stressing that the students do not speak for the university. She said, “We will all be well served in such a difficult moment by rhetoric that aims to illuminate and not inflame.”

Hogan’s decision to withdraw from the fellowship programs at Harvard is a significant move highlighting the seriousness of the issue. His action conveys that anti-Semitism and hate speech should not be tolerated, especially in academic settings that should foster open and respectful dialogue.