Congregation Etz Chaim filled with community members on Wednesday evening, June 5 (Yom Yerushalayim), anxious to hear from the speaker, Shabbos Kestenbaum, a graduate student at Harvard University. As part of the Yom Yerushalayim program at the shul, Shabbos Kestenbaum spoke about his extremely challenging experiences of anti-Semitism at Harvard Law School this year.
The program was interspersed with t’filos and recitation of T’hilim for Eretz Yisrael, the IDF, and the hostages.
Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg, Rav of Congregation Etz Chaim, welcomed everyone. He shared that we learn that Hashem will send us examples through our young people. Shabbos Kestenbaum worked with Rabbi Rosenberg at the SAR Academy. Rabbi Rosenberg noted how, as Jews, we aren’t people who generally stand up for ourselves, but we need to learn that derech.
Shabbos Kestenbaum shared how he is currently a graduate student at Harvard, and he was an undergraduate student at Queens College.
He explained that anti-Semitism existed in Harvard way before October 7. During the Nazi era, the president of Harvard University was a Nazi sympathizer. At the time, the university had Jewish quotas for admission to the college.
He pointed out that, recently, the title “House Master” was changed to “Dean,” out of sensitivity to the African American students’ negative association with the term “Master.” However, the House where most of the Jewish students live still carries the name of the anti-Semitic president of Harvard. This president was quoted as saying, “We have too many Jews in the university.” There has been no move to change the name of that house.
He shared that he studied philosophy of religion from a scholarly perspective at Harvard, and he was the only Orthodox Jew in his program.
When he was accepted to a Harvard graduate program, he was proud to receive a scholarship to such a prestigious institution. “I knew they didn’t have a lot of religious Jews and I wanted to contribute.”
He shared what happened during his first year of graduate school there in September 2022. The F.I.R.E. (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) ranked colleges for free speech rights, and Harvard was at the bottom of the list then. It was number 248 out of 248 universities. “This university is particularly opposed to free speech and routinely regulates speech. Twelve students had their acceptances rescinded because of something they posted on a private WhatsApp.
During his first month at Harvard, one of the university’s campus organizations, Solidarity with Palestine, invited Mohammed el-Kurd, one of the top ten anti-Semites. He was known for saying things like Jews eat Palestinian people’s organs, and how unfortunate it is that Palestinians can’t hijack more planes. He also equated Israelis with Nazis.
Shabbos Kestenbaum met with the president of Harvard to protest having this speaker. He said to the president: Since you rescinded other students, why allow someone who praised Hitler to come speak at the campus. The response from the president was shockingly anti-Semitic. He said the speaker had “first amendment rights” to speak.
The Palestinian Solidarity Committee holds an annual “Israel apartheid week” at Harvard where they equate Israelis with Nazis, and there are swastikas drawn on buildings and on the houses of undergraduates.
He shared that, “anti-Semitism in Ivy League campuses is far worse that you know.” He took a photo of an American flag on campus that was replaced with a Palestinian flag. He sent the photo to the New York Post.
One month ago, when he placed hundreds of Israeli and American flags to honor victims of October 7, they were vandalized three times. It happened on Shabbos, so it was not covered by the media. This never received the outrage it deserved.
He shared how he has siblings, as well as grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins living in Israel. He was dancing in the Hillel on Simchas Torah and, though the group started at 300, as rumors and information spread about what happened in Israel, the numbers dwindled until he was one of 20 people left dancing with the Torah.
He shared how he grew up assuming the existence of Israel was a given. Now, the right of the State of Israel to exist is called into question.
He shared how 34 student groups at Harvard, which represented thousands of students, jumped at the chance to blame Jews for the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. On October 8, they published this outrageous blame against Jews.
Harvard trains presidents and other future leaders. If these classmates are given power, then we are in danger.
Then began an onslaught of unprecedented anti-Semitism. He shared that he’s been called a baby killer, a Zionist crybaby, and other awful names. A staff member threatened him with a machete, and he had to have security guards. There was a physical assault on an Israeli student. Another Israeli student was told to leave class because her nationality made people uncomfortable. It’s remarkable how bad things became and how quickly they became bad!
On October 10, there was a rally in Harvard Yard with 1,200 students and professors. It wasn’t a rally asking for the release of the hostages or against Hamas terrorism. Rather, it was a rally for Palestinian resistance. A speaker said, “Who are we to condemn Hamas? They are our freedom fighters!” This was applauded.
Anti-Semitism and anti-American propaganda are being taught in the classrooms of Harvard and other Ivy League institutions.
He shared that even after Claudine Gay, former president of Harvard (who said evil is only evil in context), resigned, 120 faculty and staff published an extremely anti-Semitic cartoon. This happened after three different Congressional testimonies.
Students in tents who were supporting globalizing intifada wouldn’t allow Jewish students to pass by the tents. They installed so-called “safety monitors” who followed Jewish students around and monitored our movements.
Jewish students are being treated with disdain and contempt. There has been no attempt by Harvard University to make life safer for Jewish students.
He explained that this is why he filed a lawsuit to receive equity. Harvard is unwilling to change.
The lawsuit is against Harvard for violating Title 6 of the Civil Rights Acts, which prohibits discrimination due to national origin. Almost every university in the country is facing a similar lawsuit.
Harvard has attempted to delay and to wiggle out of this. They made a motion to dismiss with prejudice. They claim that they have an anti-Semitism taskforce, but this is a failed taskforce, and they know this. It was disbanded and a new one was formed, but that taskforce also had the members resigning. This is used to pretend that the university is fighting anti-Semitism, but they clearly are not.
He emphasized that Jewish students are not safe at universities, and he had to have armed security because of physical threats. “It’s not safe for Jewish students and it’s far worse than you thought!”
Harvard has no interest in protecting Jewish students. In the 1970s, 25 percent of the students at Harvard were Jewish. Today, only four percent are Jewish. There was a blatant effort to decrease the number of Jewish students.
He shared that, today, Jewish students are aware of systematic anti-Semitism. More students are committed to standing up for their Jewish values, the Jewish State of Israel, and their Jewish identity.
He concluded with “Am Yisrael Chai.”
Following this, there was a lively Q&A.
When asked about funding for Harvard from the government, he shared that $670 million comes from taxpayers and a billion dollars from Qatar.
Shabbos Kestenbaum has taken an active role in lawsuits against the university. He has spoken in Congress and has testified. He speaks with politicians. He shared suggestions for other Jews. Arab countries pump millions into these Ivy League schools.
He shared that we need Jewish organizations to share how they are specifically going to help Jewish students in these universities. He noted there are two battles going on, a physical one in Israel and a battle against anti-Semitism in the diaspora. He told the audience that we must support young Jewish students. He shared that it’s comforting to be in a Zionist institution like Congregation Etz Chaim, with Israeli flags and posters of kidnap victims that aren’t torn down.
If you are a rabbi or high school principal, then make it clear that you won’t allow Ivy League admissions people near your students if there is not a clear, defined way for fighting anti-Semitism on their campuses. They need to specifically explain how they will combat anti-Semitism.
The community thanks Congregation Etz Chaim for this informative, important lecture. Hashem should protect us and bring us the g’ulah now!
By Susie Garber
