Billionaire businessman Bill Ackman has criticized the Harvard president for not attending Israel’s screening of footage of the October 7 Hamas attack, despite offering to accompany her to her appearance before Congress the next day fly.
The hedge fund manager took aim at Claudine Gay for her “failed leadership” and described the decision not to attend as an “insult”.
Immediately after the screening of the documentary at Harvard, Ackman, 57, offered to fly Gay to Washington, D.C., where she is scheduled to testify before Congress about the explosion of anti-Semitism at the university.
But the university leader declined the invitation and her chief of staff said in an email response that she was “out of town.”
“I can’t think of anything more important for the Harvard president than to witness the atrocities before he testifies about the Hamas protests and anti-Semitism on campus,” Ackman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Bill Ackman criticized the president of Harvard University after she refused to attend Israel’s screening of footage of the October 7 Hamas attack because she was out of town
Claudine Gay is scheduled to testify before Congress about anti-Semitic incidents at her college the day after the screening
Ackman offered Gay to fly to Washington, D.C., in time for her testimony before Congress, but she declined the invitation
“It may be true that she is ‘out of town’ as she is flying safely to DC that day, but it certainly sends a bad signal to the students, faculty and alumni community about the seriousness with which she means it.” Addressing the issue of anti-Semitism on campus.
“And it’s an insult to the Israeli ambassador who flies to Boston just to present the documentary at Harvard.”
Ackman said he offered to arrange dinner and a flight so the two could discuss the kinds of issues Gay might face in Congress on Tuesday.
However, gifts like this from a donor who wants to influence university policy may or may not be prohibited by school policy.
Ackman previously threatened to withdraw funding from the institution in response to Gay’s handling of anti-Semitic incidents on campus, which surged after the Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli bombing campaign against Gaza.
On November 4, he wrote to Gay expressing his concerns and revealing that he had met with Jewish students who told him they had been spat on, subjected to anti-Semitic taunts and memes and, in one case, physically attacked , which he said was captured on video.
The clashes between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel supporters have led the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to open an investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism at the school.
“President Gay’s failed leadership in addressing the impact of October 7th on campus explains in large part why anti-Semitism has exploded at Harvard,” Ackman added.
At Tuesday’s hearing, gay MIT President Sally Kornbluth and UPenn President Liz Magill will discuss the rise in anti-Semitic incidents on their campuses as pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters clash
Ackman called Gay’s decision not to attend the event an “insult” and said it sent a “bad message” to her students
“And it also sets a bad example for other universities and institutions.” We are sadly witnessing a serious failure of leadership at Harvard, one of the most important American institutions, at a critical time in its history.
“Almost a month has passed since I emailed it to her and the entire board. Grilling.’
He compared Gay’s leadership to Dartmouth President Sian Beilock, whom he praised for her “skillful” handling of Israel-Palestine issues on her campus.
Gay, along with the leaders of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, was called before Congress to testify about anti-Semitism as tensions have risen on some campuses following the terrorist attack.
The hearing will be held by the House Education and Workforce Committee. In addition to Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Penn President Liz Magill will also testify.
Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, who chairs the committee, vowed to hold university leaders accountable for anti-Semitism on their campuses.
“College leaders have largely stood by and allowed the terrible rhetoric to get worse,” Foxx said in a statement.
“College and university presidents have a responsibility to promote and maintain a safe learning environment for their students and staff.” “Now is not the time for indecision or milquetoast statements.”
The statement made no reference to investigating Islamophobic incidents, which have also increased amid rising tensions.