Harvard's president tries to save face after disastrous testimony, but no one is buying the damage control



Harvard president Claudine Gay is trying to save face after not saying Harvard's policies condemn students who call for a genocide of the Jewish people.

Appearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asked Gay if students who call for a genocide of Jews violates Harvard's policies. Despite the straightforward question, Gay would say only that such speech is "at odds with the values of Harvard," but she refused to condemn it outright as violating Harvard's code of conduct.

— (@)

The outrage against Gay was swift, and she attempted to quell the backlash with a clarifying statement on Wednesday.

"There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students," Gay said. "Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account."

The statement went viral but did little to repair the damage she had caused.

Not only did people demand she immediately resign, but they questioned the sincerity of the statement because it was made in response to backlash — not under oath before Congress.

  • "Let me be clear. No one is confused about this desperate attempt at cleaning up your pathetic antisemitic answers yesterday. You cannot undo the moral depravity and shame. And everyone in the world knows it," Stefanik responded.
  • "Words not spoken YESTERDAY, on the record, on camera, when given ample opportunity," CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga noted.
  • "'Let me be clear' — really? You had a whole day yesterday before the entire nation to be 'clear.' And you failed spectacularly! You think a single tweet, not subject to cross-examination or other follow up inquiry, fixes this? You are insulting the entire country!" former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman responded.
  • "President Claudine,Why didn’t you say that yesterday? Or better yet on October 7th?" Israeli author Hen Mazzig asked.
  • "As a Harvard alum, I say this with all due respect: F*@k Harvard!" Israeli journalist and Harvard alum Caroline Glick responded.
  • "You should have said this yesterday, live, in-person and on camera. Not today, after your PR firm told you you needed to clean it up. It’s too late now. It’s not credible," former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who is Jewish, responded.
  • "Then why didn’t you say this during your Congressional hearing yesterday?! STEP DOWN.You are a failure," StopAntisemitism, a non-profit organization, asked.
  • "Why was Claudine Gay unable to say this at the hearing and it took universal outrage and condemnation for you to issue this clarification?" human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky asked.

Even the White House condemned Gay and the other university presidents who testified on Tuesday and waffled on lay-up questions about anti-Semitism.

"It's unbelievable that this needs to be said: calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country," White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.

"Any statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting — and we should all stand firmly against them, on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans," he added.

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AOC tries to defend Jewish people, but really steps in it when she posts explanation of her statement



Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tried to save face on Monday and defend Jewish people.

Amid rising anti-Semitism and increasing pushback from progressive Democrats to support Israel unequivocally, Ocasio-Cortez published a generic statement condemning anti-Semitism.

"Now more than ever, we must emphasize the importance of separating people from governments," the New York Democrat said.

"Antisemitism is disgusting and unacceptable. We have a responsibility to defend our Jewish brothers, sisters, and siblings from hatred. No movement of integrity should tolerate it. Ever," she added.

— (@)

The statement generated significant skepticism because, less than one week ago, Ocasio-Cortez voted againsta House resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas. She was one of nine Democrats who voted against the resolution, while another six declined to support it by voting "present."

Not only that, but in 2021 Ocasio-Cortez refused to vote for Iron Dome funding. The Iron Dome is a sophisticated missile defense system that is critical to Israel's national security. Additionally, Ocasio-Cortez has been one of the loudest voices calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, a demand that even Hillary Clinton understands only rewards Hamas.

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez published an extended version of her statement on Instagram in which she equated Hamas to the Israeli government.

"Our movement fights for Palestinian human rights AND protects the safety of our Jewish brothers, sisters, and siblings," she said. "Palestinians and those who advocate for them are NOT equivalent to Hamas. Israelis and those concerned for Jewish safety are NOT equivalent to the acts of the Israeli government."

The logic of Ocasio-Cortez's statement is:

  • Palestinians = Israelis and "those concerned for Jewish safety";
  • Hamas = "the acts of the Israeli government" (i.e., defending itself and its citizens from terrorists).

There are, of course, zero equivalencies between the two.

The Israeli government is a democratic institution elected by Israeli citizens, while Hamas is a terrorist organization. The Israeli government exists to govern a sovereign nation, while Hamas exists only to destroy Israel and kill Jews.

Comparing Hamas and the Israeli government also downplays Israel's right to self-defense. The truth is that Hamas provoked those "acts of the Israeli government" to which Ocasio-Cortez referred with its barbaric attack on Oct. 7.

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Whoopi Goldberg tries damage control over 'incredibly ignorant' Holocaust comments — but people aren't buying it



Whoopi Goldberg apologized Tuesday after once again making eyebrow-raising comments about the Holocaust that generated intense backlash.

This is not the first time Goldberg faced criticism for controversial remarks about the Holocaust. In February, Goldberg was temporarily suspended from "The View" after she declared the Holocaust was "not about race."

What did Goldberg say?

In an interview with the Times of London, Goldberg downplayed the racial component of the Holocaust. First, she relayed an anecdote from an alleged Jewish friend.

"My best friend said, ‘Not for nothing is there no box on the census for the Jewish race. So that leads me to believe that we’re probably not a race,'" Goldberg told the newspaper.

When challenged on her claims, Goldberg then insisted that the Holocaust was not "originally" about the Jewish race and appeared to criticize Jews for having believed what Nazis, whom she called "the oppressor," told Jews about themselves.

"Remember who they were killing first. They were not killing racial; they were killing physical," Goldberg claimed. "They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision."

Goldberg doubled down when the reporter interviewing her then reminded her the Nazi regime develop tests to "prove" Jewish ancestry.

"They did that to black people too," Goldberg responded. "But it doesn’t change the fact that you could not tell a Jew on a street. You could find me. You couldn’t find them."

What was the response?

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, sharply condemned Goldberg's "deeply offensive and incredibly ignorant" remarks in a statement on Tuesday.

"Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about the Holocaust and race are deeply offensive and incredibly disappointing, especially given that this is not the first time she had made remarks like this," Greenblatt said. "In a moment when anti-Semitic incidents have surged across the U.S., she should realize that making such ignorant statements can have real consequences."

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, meanwhile, responded by tweeting a passage from a letter that Adolf Hitler wrote in 1919. In that letter, Hitler declared that "Jews are definitely a race," condemning them as an "alien race, unable and unwilling to sacrifice its racial distinctiveness."

\u201cExcerpt from Adolf Hitler\u2019s letter on \u2018the dangers currently presented by Jewry to our nation\u2019 from 16 September 1919. \n\nThis text is one of the first major statements made by Hitler with regard to the Jewish question.\u201d
— Auschwitz Memorial (@Auschwitz Memorial) 1672080884

Did Goldberg apologize?

Goldberg claimed in a statement on Tuesday that her words were essentially taken out of context, saying she was only recounting the comments that earned her a suspension — not doubling down on them.

The statement said, according to Rolling Stone:

It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments, especially after talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in. I’m still learning a lot and believe me, I heard everything everyone said to me. I believe that the Holocaust was about race, and I am still as sorry now as I was then that I upset, hurt and angered people.

My sincere apologies again, especially to everyone who thought this was a fresh rehash of the subject. I promise it was not. In this time of rising antisemitism, I want to be very clear when I say that I always stood with the Jewish people and always will. My support for them has not wavered and never will.

Greenblatt, however, did not buy the excuse.

"We appreciate Whoopi’s apology and acknowledgment of the hurt her words caused," he responded. "But this is the 2nd time she's made spurious and offensive remarks about the Holocaust and race, and after reading @thetimes interview, it’s hard to imagine her words were being taken out of context."

\u201cWe appreciate Whoopi\u2019s apology and acknowledgment of the hurt her words caused. But this is the 2nd time she's made spurious and offensive remarks about the Holocaust and race, and after reading @thetimes interview, it\u2019s hard to imagine her words were being taken out of context.\u201d
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@Jonathan Greenblatt) 1672241930

Twitter locks Kanye West's account after tweet about Jewish people



Kanye West has been locked out of his Twitter account after posting a tweet about Jewish people.

On Saturday night, Kanye posted a tweet that read: "I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE."

Kanye appears to make a reference to DEFCON – which is the defense readiness condition alert level used by the United States military.

The rapper added, "The funny thing is I actually can't be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda."

The tweet was deleted, and Kanye's account was restricted for violating the social media platform's policies.

A Twitter spokesman said of Kanye's page, "The account in question has been locked due to a violation of Twitter's policies."

Kanye West's Twitter suspension comes a day after the rapper had his Instagram account restricted.

A representative for Meta – the company that owns Instagram and Facebook – told The Hollywood Reporter that West's Instagram account had been restricted and the social media app had deleted content from the rapper's page. West's Instagram account was still visible, but he was temporarily barred from sharing posts, writing comments, and sending direct messages.

The Meta spokesperson did not specify what post was deleted or how long the suspension would last.

After being locked out of his Instagram account, Kanye vented about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Twitter.

West told Zuckerberg in the tweet that they used to be close friends and shared a photo of the two.

Kanye tweeted, "How you gone kick me off Instagram."

Elon Musk – who is set to buy Twitter – chimed in, "Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!"

Before last week, Kanye had not tweeted since November 2020.

Last week, West was criticized for comments he made about Jared Kushner during an interview on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

The American Jewish Committee – a Jewish advocacy group – said on Friday that West had made "incoherent rants laden with racist and anti-Semitic undertones" and "anti-Jewish posts."

In March, the rapper known as Ye had his Instagram account suspended for 24 hours after using a racial slur against "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah.

Kanye West also made headlines last week by wearing a shirt that read: "White Lives Matter."