Donations to Harvard drop 15pc over its handling of anti-Semitism

Anti-Israel movements on the historic university’s campus trigger rising tensions, with protest groups calling for escalation of activity

Harvard has seen donations tumble by nearly 15 per cent in a year amid anger over the handling of anti-Semitism on the university’s campus.
Its annual financial accounts revealed the university received $1.17 billion in gifts, down $210 million from the same period last year.
Harvard and other universities across the country were rocked by a string of pro-Palestinian protests after the Oct 7 massacre in Israel.
Anti-Israel movements on the historic university’s campus have triggered rising tensions, with protest groups calling for an escalation of activity.
“Now is the time to escalate,” the Harvard undergraduate Palestine solidarity committee recently said.
“Harvard’s insistence on funding slaughter only strengthens our moral imperative and commitment to our demands.”
The statement came after ground-floor windows of the college’s University Hall were smashed and a statue of John Harvard was doused in red paint in vandalism described as an “act of solidarity with the Palestinian resistance”.
Harvard’s perceived failure to crackdown on anti-Semitism has led to a number of high-profile backers withdrawing their backing for the university.
Ken Griffin, the hedge fund billionaire, has paused funding over what he views as his alma mater’s poor handling of anti-Semitism.
The family foundation of investor Len Blavatnik pulled its funding late last year for the same reason.
Claudine Gay, the school’s first black president, resigned in January amid allegations of plagiarism and her response to anti-Semitism on campus.
In June, two task forces found that Jewish, Muslim and Arab students were harassed, bullied and discriminated against on campus.
Harvard wrote in its financial report that “our task forces to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, and anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian bias are focused on rebuilding not only a sense of belonging but also genuine acceptance among members of our community”.
In an earlier interview with the Harvard Crimson, Alan Garber, the school’s president, said: “Some of the new commitments have been disappointing compared to past years.”
“There are also some indications that we will see improvements in the future,” he added.