The head of Harvard University’s new antisemitism task force cancelled his appearance at a panel on antisemitism over the weekend after facing criticism for endorsing a statement that called Israel a “regime of apartheid.”
Derek Penslar, co-chairman of Harvard’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism, was scheduled to speak at a Center for Jewish History panel titled, “What is Antisemitism? Definitions and Debates,” in New York City on Sunday morning. In a statement, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, Penslar said he skipped the public event to avoid commenting on recent scandals at Harvard.
“I am mindful of my role as co-chair of the Harvard Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism,” Penslar said in his statement, which was read by moderator Gavriel Rosenfeld at the beginning of the panel.
“And since at the symposium I would invariably be asked to speak about the goings on at Harvard, and since the task force is only now just being put together, and its plan of action is being formed, it would not be appropriate for me to make public comments at this time,” he added.
On January 19, interim Harvard president Alan Garber appointed Penslar, a professor of Jewish history and director of the Center for Jewish Studies, to the task force to combat the rise of antisemitic incidents on campus. The news sparked widespread criticism, considering the Harvard professor previously referred to Israel as an apartheid state.
In August, before the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, Penslar signed an open letter along with nearly 2,900 other signatories who at the time called Israel a “regime of apartheid” over its treatment of Palestinians.
“We, academics, clergy, and other public figures from Israel/Palestine and abroad, call attention to the direct link between Israel’s recent attack on the judiciary and its illegal occupation of millions of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the August letter read.
“Without equal rights for all, whether in one state, two states, or in some other political framework, there is always a danger of dictatorship,” it continued. “There cannot be democracy for Jews in Israel as long as Palestinians live under a regime of apartheid, as Israeli legal experts have described it.”
Penslar also played a role in backing former Harvard president Claudine Gay after her widely criticized appearance at a House hearing on antisemitism, in which she refused to confirm that calling for the genocide of Jews represents a violation of Harvard policy. Penslar was one of 726 faculty members who urged against Gay’s removal in a December letter, an effort that ultimately failed. Gay resigned nearly a month later.
In the ten days since the announcement of the task force, former Harvard president Lawrence Summers and Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman have expressed doubt concerning Penslar’s selection as co-chairman.
“I have no doubt that Prof Penslar is a profound scholar of Zionism and a person of good will without a trace of personal anti-Semitism who cares deeply about Harvard,” Summers posted on X. “However, I believe that given his record, he is unsuited to leading a task force whose function is to combat what is seen by many as a serious anti-Semitism problem at Harvard.”
“Prof Penslar has publicly minimized Harvard’s anti-Semitism problem, rejected the definition used by the US government in recent years of anti-Semitism as too broad, invoked the need for the concept of settler colonialism in analyzing Israel, referred to Israel as an apartheid state and more,” Summers added. “While he does not support [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] he has made clear that he sees it as a reasonable position.”
Ackman similarly said Harvard “continues on the path of darkness” with Penslar as one of the antisemitism task force’s two leaders. Raffaella Sadun, a professor of business administration, will co-chair the group alongside Penslar.
Neither Penslar nor the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism responded to National Review’s requests for comment.