Presidents of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have said calling for the “genocide of Jews” was not harassment. 

The three presidents stated this on Tuesday while appearing before the House Committee on Education and Workforce about how they have handled ‘anti-semitic’ incidents on their campuses since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. 

Many Republican lawmakers had accused the trio of not doing enough to root out and denounce anti-Jewish sentiments. 

The intervention of the House came as campuses continued to be roiled by protests and tension related to the Israel-Hamas war. 

Appearing before the House, Harvard University’s Claudine Gay said the institution embraced free expression and gave a wide “berth to free expression, even of views that are objectionable, outrageous and offensive.” 

When asked if “calling for the genocide of news” constitutes bullying and harassment, according to Harvard rules, Mr Gay said the language is “anti-semitic” but did not say it necessarily constitutes bullying and harassment. 

In his response, MIT’s Sally Kornbluth defended the approach before the House, saying, “As American, as a Jew and as a human being, I abhor anti-semitism, and my administration is combating it actively.”

After the Hamas terrorist attack, several student organisations at Harvard released a statement blaming Israel for the bloodshed, drawing a backlash from prominent alumni and U.S. lawmakers. 

Also, several antisemitic incidents have been reported at the University of Pennsylvania, including vile messages that were projected onto campus buildings and disturbing mail that threatened violence against members of the campus Jewish community. 

MIT has suspended some students from non-academic activities after protesters refused to leave a campus building, bringing criticism that the punishment did not go far enough. 

However, Jewish students have said they feared for their safety and were physically blocked from attending classes. 

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is now investigating Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, among others, after receiving alleged complaints of anti-semitism and Islamophobia. 

Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT are private institutions but receive millions of dollars in federal funding, making them subject to federal anti-discrimination laws.