'Why should the Jewish community demand any less?'

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned following an inquiry into her academic integrity and a Congressional testimony in early December about her campus response to antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

For Jewish leaders like Ron Halber, the school missed a key opportunity to condemn antisemitism on college campuses by reaffirming support for Gay and keeping her onboard after her comments on Capitol Hill. She failed to denounce antisemitism right away, Halber said, creating a potentially unsafe environment for the Harvard community.

"We wouldn't accept it for any other group," said Halber, who is executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. "Why should the Jewish community demand any less?"

He added Gay's exit signals a call by Jewish leaders to universities nationwide to understand when speech can have dangerous consequences to campus culture.

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