Harvard Jews

Harvard Jewish Community

05/05/2026

Friends, one last invitation.

Tomorrow night in New York City, we'd love to see you as David Harris lays out a post-October 7th agenda for a post-October 7th world.

Called "the foreign minister of the Jewish people" by Shimon Peres, David Harris is the most decorated Jewish organizational leader in U.S. history. He'll speak to what effective advocacy looks like — now.

When: Wed, May 6 · 6pm reception · 7pm program
Where: Midtown Manhattan (address shared upon registration)

Co-hosted with HBS-JAA, HLS-JAN, and Jewish Alumni Strong.

Register: https://jewishalumnistrong.org/david-harris-event/

04/06/2026

HJAA 2026 ENDORSEMENTS FOR BOARD OF OVERSEERS AND HAA ELECTED DIRECTORS

A Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance committee invited all candidates to meet with us. Each was provided pre-reading and a written brief on antisemitism at Harvard.

We met with 15 candidates. Our recommendations are based on each candidate's commitment to Harvard's mission, their understanding of antisemitism at Harvard, and their willingness to act.

BOARD OF OVERSEERS — OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:
Trey Grayson (A.B. '94)
Alfredo Gutierrez Ortiz Mena (LL.M. '98)
Philip L. Harrison (A.B. '86, M.Arch. '93)
Nisha Kumar Behringer (A.B. '91, M.B.A. '95)
Salvo Arena (LL.M. '00)

HAA ELECTED DIRECTORS — OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:
Mia Esther Alpert ('99)
Jimmy Biblarz ('14, J.D. '21, Ph.D. '23)
Allison Charney Epstein ('89)
Medha Gargeya ('14, J.D. '19)
Jakob Haesler (M.P.A. '99)
David G. Lefer ('93)

Vote ONLY for endorsed candidates so your votes are not diluted. Ballots close May 19, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.

Read our full endorsements: harvardjewishalumni.org/overseers-and-directors/

04/01/2026

JOINT STATEMENT FROM HARVARD, HBS, AND HLS JEWISH ALUMNI ORGANIZATIONS

A House Committee report, a DOJ lawsuit, and new enrollment data all point to the same conclusion: antisemitism at Harvard is systemic, not episodic - and Harvard must address it itself.

The House Committee's findings reinforce what HJAA documented in The Soil Beneath the Encampments (2024): failures of leadership, enforcement, and accountability that predate October 7.

Our new enrollment study, A Narrowing Gate, shows Jewish enrollment has fallen to ~7% - the lowest since before World War II.

Harvard has made progress. But it is not finished. Jewish students still face bias and exclusion - including in the classroom. The DOJ lawsuit filed March 20 is a reflection of this unfinished work.

Harvard must finish the work - because Harvard stands for fairness, not because Washington demands it.

Read our full statement and reports (link in bio) or visit:
harvardjewishalumni.org/jewish-enrollment-at-harvard/

03/15/2026

NEW REPORT: "A Narrowing Gate" examines Jewish enrollment at Harvard and eight peer institutions from 1967 to 2025.

Harvard's Jewish enrollment has been cut in half. Penn and Columbia fell sharply. Yale declined ~42%.

But at Brown, Jewish enrollment grew. At Cornell, it held steady. At Princeton, it barely moved.

The report draws on Hillel data, Crimson surveys, demographic records, and peer comparisons spanning nearly 60 years. It examines nine structural explanations across all nine schools. No single factor, or combination, accounts for the gap.

Full report: harvardjewishalumni.org/jewish-enrollment-at-harvard/

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04/30/2025

Our statement on the new Harvard antisemitism report:

The Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance commends the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias for its work to establish a more pluralistic environment conducive to respectful engagement and disagreement. We appreciate the report’s identification of three problematic academic frameworks fueling campus antisemitism: denying Jewish connection to our ancestral homeland, embracing a distorted settler-colonialism framework, and refusing to recognize Jews as a historically vulnerable group. The report reinforces many of the findings from the HJAA Audit released in May, 2024: The Soil Beneath the Encampments: How Israel and Jews Became the Focus of Hate at Harvard.

We now await concrete action plans from deans and meaningful implementation from President Garber, particularly regarding oversight of academic programs, accountability measures, and clear responsibility with metrics and public reporting.

We remain concerned that the report retreats to comfortable academic parlance about “balance” and “constructive dialogue” in the face of factually incorrect narratives. Let’s hope Harvard isn’t burying a serious problem in the spectacle of academia.

04/24/2025

Yom HaShoah reminds us of history’s darkest chapter and the resilience it inspires. The Holocaust teaches essential lessons about vulnerability and self-determination that resonate deeply today.

As we honor the memory of six million Jews, we recognize that remembrance is both obligation and strength. Their legacy lives on in our collective commitment to ensure such atrocities never happen again.

“What is new is us, our clarity and purpose, a Jewish collective shorn of the blindnesses and vulnerabilities of the past.” -.rettig.gur

04/15/2025

Harvard’s response is giving context all over again

04/11/2025

The Passover story has guided our people through millennia of profound challenges. Today, its lessons of resilience, liberation, and community feel especially relevant. As we celebrate, we remember our shared history while affirming our commitment to a Harvard where Jews feel safe and welcomed. Wishing our entire community a meaningful Pesach. Chag sameach from HJAA!

04/01/2025

Harvard’s antisemitism problem isn’t some niche issue.

Harvard normalizes hate by platforming antisemitic activists. The activist dogma also presents risks.

In research, your hypothesis can be proven wrong. In activism, you align facts to bolster your claims. They’re antithetical.

03/12/2025

Harvard fails to stand by its Jewish community until federal dollars are threatened.

As Jewish alumni, we’re in the uncomfortable position of seeing outsiders do what insiders wouldn’t.

12/25/2024

Have the happiest, most delicious Hanukkah yet! Thank you for standing together as proud Jews tired of being treated otherwise.

‏ חג חנוכה שמח

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