09/20/2026
In the midst of addressing 1,000+ Harvard students, faculty, deans, and the university president, who gathered to celebrate Jewish life and community Harvard at Harvard Chabad’s Shabbat1000, Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi of responds to Nicholas Kristof:
I need to pause for a moment. Some will wonder why I need to do this now. However, I feel that to not, I would be betraying Shabbat, the High Holy Days, and my people, the Jewish people.
I’m going to say this briefly. A few hours ago, at Harvard Kennedy School, Nicholas Kristof doubled down on his vicious, perverted conspiracies against the Jewish people.
This is a university. And the free exchange of ideas is sacred. He certainly has a right to his free speech. The wisdom of inviting him and honoring him should certainly be examined, but that is a conversation for another time.
But to my fellow Jews, and good people and allies on campus - by the way, to our allies, thank you so much for joining us this evening! We treasure your friendship more than you know. The Jewish people are a benevolent people. We are people that chooses life. Not death and su***de bombings. The Jewish people have devoted their lives and have been an example throughout history of what it means to feed the poor, to alleviate suffering, to house the homeless and clothe the naked. Why are there so many Jewish doctors, lawyers, and educators? Because we understand that there’s no greater calling in life than to be a doctor and fight disease and bring healing to the world. To be a lawyer and to fight injustice, to be an educator and fight ignorance, and bring light, wisdom, and truth into people’s lives.
Mr. Kristof, we are people who have suffered from sadistic cruelty from Hamas who rule Gaza. They murdered our children, r***d our women, cut off their body parts, and burned them alive. For you to come here and spread lies, dangerous lies and conspiracies, to fuel hate and to slander our people, is dangerous.
Continued in comments.
