Harvard's Antisemitism Panel Loses Leader

Harvard's new task force on combating antisemitism has a leadership problem.

Derek Penslar withdrew from a panel on antisemitism he was scheduled to participate in Sunday, citing an unwillingness to answer questions publicly about goings on at Harvard, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

The co-chair was scheduled to speak at a Sunday morning Center for Jewish History panel titled, "What is Antisemitism? Definitions and Debates."

Moderator Gavriel Rosenfield announced Penslar's withdrawal at the beginning of the panel and read a statement from the Harvard professor.

"I am mindful of my role as co-chair of the Harvard Task Force on Combating Antisemitism," Penslar said in his statement, "and since at the symposium I would invariably be asked to speak about the goings on at Harvard, and since the task force is only now just being put together, and its plan of action is being formed, it would not be appropriate for me to make public comments at this time."

Penslar is the William Lee Frost professor of Jewish history at Harvard. He is the director of undergraduate studies within the department and directs Harvard's Center for Jewish Studies.

He was among some 2,900 academics, clergy and public figures who signed a letter last year before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, writing that the Israeli government's purpose is to "deprive Palestinians of equal rights" and "ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population."

Larry Summers, a former Harvard president and former Treasury secretary, and Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager and Harvard alumnus, criticized the University for putting Penslar in the task force, Axios reported.

Summers said Penslar was "unsuited" for the task force, while Ackman said Penslar's selection shows Harvard "continues on the path of darkness."

But another panelist, Fairfield University's Glenn Dynner, called out Penslar's critics, accusing them of pushing "a certain agenda," the Free Beacon noted.

"I do feel I should acknowledge … how problematic it is and the chilling effect that occurs when somebody's arguments and words are suddenly used against them and often twisted and used for a certain agenda," Dynner said after praising Penslar.

"I think all of us feel a little bit now worried that our words too are going to be twisted," he continued. "So there is a kind of chilling effect that I would like to acknowledge."

Before withdrawing, Penslar was slated to discuss "difficult challenges such as identifying the line between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, determining the differences between free speech and hate speech, and deciding the proper role universities should play in navigating these highly-charged issues."

Penslar had organized a campaign to defend former Harvard president Claudine Gay after she faced calls to resign over her testimony during a December congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. Gay, who was also charged with plagiarism, later resigned as Harvard president.