Harvard University students returning to campus for the new semester were met with posters of Israeli hostages being desecrated with anti-Israel messages, including claims that Israel was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A student captured video footage of the vandalism, showing fellow students defacing the posters.
The posters had been put up by a group of students and pro-Israel residents of Cambridge to draw attention to Israeli hostages who have been held captive by Hamas terrorists for over 100 days. However, just a few hours later, the posters were covered in graffiti accusing Israel of lying about the hostages and being involved in the 9/11 attacks. Some posters were also ripped down.
Student Shabbos Kestenbaum, who recorded the video, expressed concern about the safety and welcome of Jewish students on campus, stating that actions like this make them feel unsafe. Kestenbaum and a few other students have filed a lawsuit against Harvard, alleging that the university enables anti-Semitism and selectively enforces policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment.
The lawsuit references several incidents of mobs occupying campus buildings, promoting violence, and assaulting Jews on campus. It also accuses administrators and professors of promoting anti-Semitism and alleges that the university has partnered with a Palestinian university dominated by Hamas.
Harvard University has not responded to requests for comments on the matter.
This incident adds to the ongoing debate surrounding anti-Semitism on college campuses and raises questions about the steps that universities should take to address and combat such acts. As the lawsuit against Harvard unfolds, it remains to be seen how the university will respond and what actions it will take to address the concerns of Jewish students.