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Billionaire businessman Bill Ackman slammed the Harvard president for not attending an Israel screening of footage of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, even after he offered to fly her to her congressional appearance the next day. .
The hedge fund manager took aim at Claudine Gay for her “failed leadership” and called her decision not to attend an “insult.”
Ackman, 57, offered to take Gay to Washington, D.C., immediately after the documentary screened at Harvard, where he is due to testify before Congress about the explosion of anti-Semitism at the university.
But the university leader declined the invitation, and her chief of staff claimed she is “out of town” in an email response.
“I can’t imagine anything more important the president of Harvard can do now than witness atrocities before testifying about the Hamas protests and anti-Semitism on campus,” Ackman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Bill Ackman lashed out at the president of Harvard University after she refused to attend an Israeli screening of footage of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack because she was out of town.
Claudine Gay to testify in Congress about anti-Semitic incidents at her university the day after screening
Ackman offered to fly Gay to Washington, D.C. in time for her congressional testimony, but she declined the invitation.
‘It may be true that she is “out of town” since I’m sure she’s flying to DC that day, but it sure sends a bad message to the students, faculty, and alumni community about how serious she is. Bringing the issue of anti-Semitism to campus.
“And it’s an insult to the Israeli ambassador who travels to Boston just to present the documentary at Harvard.”
Ackman said he offered to host dinner and a flight so the two could discuss the kinds of questions Gay might face in Congress on Tuesday.
However, gifts like this from a donor seeking to influence university policy may or may not be prohibited by school regulations.
Ackman previously threatened to withdraw his funding from the institution in response to Gay’s handling of anti-Semitic incidents on campus, which have spiked in the wake of the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent Gaza bombing campaign.
On November 4, he wrote to Gay expressing his concerns, revealing that he met with Jewish students who told him they had been spat on, subjected to anti-Semitic taunts and memes, and physically assaulted in one case, which he said was caught on video.
Clashes between supporters of Palestine and Israel have led the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to open an investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism at the school.
“President Gay’s failed leadership in managing the impact of October 7 on campus largely explains why anti-Semitism has skyrocketed at Harvard,” Ackman added.
Tuesday’s hearing will feature testimony from gay MIT President Sally Kornbluth and UPenn President Liz Magill about the rise of anti-Semitic incidents on their campuses as supporters of Israel and Palestine clash.
Ackman called Gay’s decision not to attend an “insult” and said it sends a “bad message” to his students.
‘And it is also setting a bad example for other universities and institutions. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a serious failure of leadership at Harvard, one of the most important American institutions, at a critical time in its history.
‘It’s been almost a month since I emailed it to her and the entire boarding house. Crickets.’
He compared Gay’s leadership to that of Dartmouth President Sian Beilock, whom he praised for “capably” handling Israel and Palestine issues on her campus.
Gay has been summoned to Congress along with the heads of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania to testify about anti-Semitism, as tensions on some campuses have risen in the wake of the terrorist attack.
The hearing will be conducted by the House Education and Workforce Committee. In addition to Gay, MIT President Sally Kornbluth and Penn President Liz Magill will testify.
Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, who chairs the committee, promised to hold university leaders accountable for anti-Semitism on their campuses.
“University administrators have largely stood by, allowing the horrible rhetoric to fester and grow,” Foxx said in a statement.
‘Chancellors of colleges and universities have a responsibility to foster and maintain a safe learning environment for their students and staff. Now is not the time for indecision or toasted statements.’
The statement made no reference to the investigation into incidents of Islamophobia that have also emerged amid rising tensions.