Letters to the Editor: Sorry for that antisemitic cartoon at Harvard? Apology not accepted

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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FILE - People take photos near a John Harvard statue, left, on the Harvard University campus, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, several Jewish students filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of becoming "a bastion of rampant anti-Jewish hatred and harassment." (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Visitors take photographs near the John Harvard statue on Harvard University's campus in Cambridge, Mass., on Jan. 2. (Steven Senne / Associated Press)

To the editor: It is unbelievable that members of pro-Palestinian groups at Harvard did not fully understand they were publishing an antisemitic cartoon. ("The antisemitic cartoon roiling Harvard? It's not the first time it caused a firestorm," Feb. 23)

Are we to believe that students, faculty and staff at the most prestigious university in the United States do not know history and cannot fully grasp the implications of antisemitic tropes? If so, the educational system in this country is worse than I imagined.

I do not believe their apologies, and find their actions completely disingenuous. They are savvy about social media, and surely they know how to manipulate it: Put the invective out there, then remove it and "apologize."

This is just the latest example of the decaying social contract in our country where, as history shows, people will unleash their dissatisfaction onto the most convenient scapegoat. In this case, as is so often the case, that scapegoat is the Jewish people.

Gina Ortiz, Claremont

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To the editor: I read The Times' article about an antisemitic cartoon roiling heads at Harvard.

I also read an earlier op-ed article by an American plastic surgeon who recently volunteered his skills in Gaza, where he was able to conclude from firsthand experience that what was happening wasn't war, but rather the annihilation of Gaza and its people.

Many of those in support of this war proudly proclaim that ongoing Israeli killing and near-starvation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians was not declared a genocide by a United Nations court. Well, congratulations — a real feather in our collective yarmulke.

To this Jew, the destruction of Gaza orchestrated by an Israeli prime minister vastly more concerned with his own power and avoiding criminal conviction is by far the most egregious antisemitic conduct I've seen in 60 years.

Richard G. Ellison, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: It’s the same old song with the same melody (with apologies to the Four Tops).

Many years ago, Harvard and other Ivy League colleges had the unwritten and deniable quota system that limited the number of Jewish as well as other minority students that were accepted to these schools. These systems prevented many students from entering the schools through the front door.

Now, with antisemitism on the rise, these students are allowed to enter the front door, but because they feel so unsafe, they are being pushed out the side door. So, what really has changed?

Ira Friedman, Beverly Hills

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.