The University of Pennsylvania, one of the world’s leading institutions for higher education, has been under scrutiny after a number of incidents of antisemitism on campus. The controversy began when the university hosted the Palestine Writes Literary Festival. The decision to host the festival, which featured speakers known for promoting antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric, was met with widespread criticism from both students and alumni.
Critics of the festival argue that it promoted hate speech and that it was an endorsement of terrorism. The main speaker at the event, Hatem Bazian, has a long history of promoting antisemitic ideas and has been accused of inciting violence against Jews. Even before the festival began, many were calling on the university to cancel the event and denounce its organizers. However, the university refused to take action, citing freedom of speech and academic freedom.
The festival was followed by a brutal terrorist attack carried out by Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, against Israeli civilians. The attack claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people, the majority of whom were innocent civilians. In the wake of this horrific event, there was a growing sense of outrage among the university community. Some, including well-known donor Jon Huntsman and board member Vahan Gureghian, felt that the university’s failure to denounce the festival and its speakers was tantamount to endorsing their views.
Huntsman, who has been a major donor to the university for many years, announced that he would no longer be funding the school, citing its silence in the face of what he called “reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel.” He also called out the university’s failure to condemn the festival and its speakers, stating that “Silence is antisemitism, and antisemitism is hate.” Gureghian, who has served on the university’s board of trustees, also resigned from his post in protest of the university’s handling of the situation.
In response to the growing backlash, UPenn President Liz Magill released a statement, saying that the university does not support antisemitism. However, many feel that the university’s response has been inadequate and too little, too late. Marc Rowan, another prominent donor to UPenn, called for Magill’s resignation, stating that it took the university “less than two weeks to go from the Palestine Writes Literary Festival on UPenn’s campus to the barbaric slaughter and kidnapping of Israelis.” He also accused the university of failing to take responsibility for promoting hate speech on campus.
In the face of these resignations and rebukes from donors and alumni, the University of Pennsylvania is under increasing pressure to take action and address the issue of antisemitism on campus. As one of the world’s top academic institutions, it has a responsibility to promote tolerance and denounce hate speech in all its forms. The university must take strong and decisive action in order to restore trust within its community and uphold its values of academic freedom and social responsibility.
