There’s been a lot of fallout at Harvard over the “Palestinian Solidarity” statement issued by over 30 Harvard University groups claiming the terror attack was the Israeli’s fault.
“We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” the groups wrote in a statement.
Heads at the university didn’t say a word but top alumni were upset.
Now, students and the University are facing fallout.
Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife Batia are done and resigned their positions on the executive board of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government:
Ofer, the shipping and chemicals magnate whose net worth was valued by Forbes at $14 billion as of Thursday, said that he and his wife were quitting the board, according to the Hebrew-language news site TheMarker.
Ofer and his wife, Batia, who is also a member of the executive board, said they resigned “in protest of the shocking and insensitive response by the president of the university, who did not condemn the letter by student organizations who blamed Israel for the massacres.”
But wait there’s more.
At least a dozen business executives are endorsing Bill Ackman’s demand to place the students who supported the statement on a do-not-hire list.
From the New York Post:
At least a dozen business executives have endorsed Bill Ackman’s call to refuse to hire members of student groups at Harvard that signed on to a letter blaming Israel for Hamas’ deadly attack on Saturday that killed more than 1,200 people, including at least 22 Americans.
Jonathan Newman, CEO of salad chain Sweetgreen, was among a group of business honchos who seconded Ackman in urging that the signatories of the letter circulated by a coalition of 34 Harvard student groups that “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” be blocked.
“I would like to know so I know never to hire these people,” Newman wrote in response to Ackman’s post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
“Same,” David Duel, CEO of health care services firm EasyHealth, wrote in response to Newman.
The backlash and possible blacklisting has led to a flurry of backpedaling by four of the initial student organizations attached to the inflammatory statement — while board members of other groups have quit in an effort to distance themselves.
I have been asked by a number of CEOs if @harvard would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their… https://t.co/7kzGOAGwp9
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) October 10, 2023
A Harvard law student went public after the fallout on social media and tried to backpedal.
Danielle Mikaelian, who was involved with the now infamous statement, said that she has stepped down from her role as a board member of one of the student groups, calling the statement that she supported “egregious.” She also said that she is getting her group removed from the list. Mikaelian didn’t exactly offer a full apology but made excuses.
“I am sorry for the pain this caused. My organization did not have a formal process and I didn’t even see the statement until we had signed on,” Mikaelian stated on X Tuesday evening. Mikaelian has since made her account private.
Well, looks like Mikaelian learned an important lesson: You should read something before you sign it.
