Harvard Will Keep Antisemitism Task Force Co-Chair Who Signed Letter Calling Israel A ‘Regime Of Apartheid’

Harvard University will keep a Jewish history professor who signed a letter calling Israel a “regime of apartheid” as the co-chair of the presidential antisemitism task force, according to Jewish Insider.

Interim Harvard President Alan Garber announced the creation of an antisemitism task force on Friday, with Professor Derek Penslar as one of the leaders of the group. Former Harvard President Lawrence Summers and billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman criticized the decision, but the school has decided to keep Penslar on as co-chair, according to Jewish Insider.

“Professor Derek Penslar is a renowned scholar of modern Jewish and Israeli history who is highly regarded as a leading authority in his field. He is widely respected across the Harvard community as someone who approaches his research and teaching with open-mindedness and respect for conflicting points of view and approaching difficult issues with care and reason. He is deeply committed to tackling and improving the experience of Jewish students at Harvard,” Harvard told the Insider in a statement.