LETTER FROM NEW YORK

Had they been seething for months at these politically left students who subscribe to being woke? In any case, American billionaires went ballistic when certain Harvard student organizations blamed the state of Israel for the Hamas terrorist attacks.

"We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all the unfolding violence," wrote 34 campus student organizations, mostly Muslim minority groups, on October 10. Without a word for the Israeli victims, or the murdered women and children, they added: "The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation. We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians."

Kenneth Griffin, the billionaire founder of the Citadel hedge fund, demanded that the administration of the famous Massachusetts university enter the fray in defense of the Jewish state. Griffin, who has donated $500 million (€468 million) to Harvard, was absolutely furious, notably in an interview with the New York Times, where he described the letter from the student organizations as "unforgivable." And he's not the only one. Whether non-Jewish – like Griffin, who is Presbyterian – or Jewish, the university's alumni have gone on the attack.

Bill Ackman, CEO of the Pershing Square hedge fund, asked for a list of the members of the organizations who signed the letter. "I have been asked by a number of CEOs if Harvard would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas's heinous acts to Israel, so as to ensure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members," Ackman tweeted.

In the face of criticism, the financier persisted: "If you were managing a business, would you hire someone who blamed the despicable violent acts of a terrorist group on the victims? I don't think so. Would you hire someone who was a member of a school club who issued a statement blaming lynchings by the KKK on their victims? I don't think so."

Some have taken action, such as the renowned Davis Polk law firm, which rescinded offers of employment to three students from Harvard and New York's Columbia University, as other universities have experienced controversies similar to those at Harvard.

"The views expressed in certain of the statements (...) are in direct contravention of our firm's value system," Davis Polk said in a statement. To ensure "a supportive and inclusive work environment, the student leaders responsible for signing on to these statements are no longer welcome in our firm." However, two of the three students, explaining that they had not approved the letter, have had their cases reconsidered.

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