Sometimes there are happy endings – the Roth affair
Published
by
Richard Kuper
JVL Introduction
In a surprising volte face Douglas Elmendorf, Dean of the Kennedy School of Government, said he made an “error” in vetoing Kenneth Roth’s appointment and that Roth would be invited to take up his appointment after all.
Victories like this are rare and to be celebrated!
Nonetheless, as Roth himself points out, a lot of questions remain unanswered, in particular
- what on earth did Elmendorf mean when he said his rejection was “based on my evaluation of his potential contributions to the school”?
- who were the people who mattered to Elmendorf when he said “he made this decision because of people who ‘mattered’ to him at the university”?
Something remains seriously amiss…
This article was originally published by the New York Times on Thu 19 Jan 2023. Read the original here.
Harvard Reverses Course on Human Rights Advocate Who Criticized Israel
News that the university had blocked a fellowship for the former head of Human Rights Watch stirred debate over academic freedom and donor influence.
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Delighted about Roth’s reinstatement. So pleased the McCarthyites didn’t get away with it this time! Also pleased Roth is asking very pertinent questions about Elmendorf’s conduct and Harvard’s future actions to safeguard academic freedoms.
I hadn’t previously known that Roth is himself Jewish. The accusation of antisemitism made against someone who’s Jewish is inherently UNLIKELY to be true. On par with the statement that black is white and water flows uphill.
I’ve seen “explanations” from dubious sources that the “antisemitic” Jews are “self-hating Jews”. I’ve never heard of – or seen reports of – “self-hating” Sikhs … or Muslims … or Buddhists … or Christians. Why are those who use the phrase “self-hating Jew(s)” allowed to get away with it?
Roth is obviously the ‘wrong type’ of Jew. In the UK Labour Party, Jewish members are 30 times more likely to be expelled than non-Jews if deemed to be ‘wrong type’ by the pro-Zionist leadership with 30% of shadow cabinet members of Labour Friends of Israel
How can the Dean of the Kennedy Law School make such a “mistake” and remain in office? That he does is a sad reflection of the quality of the administration of that institution.
This issue raises questions well beyond the scope of the case in question. I am glad it seems seems now to be resolved satisfactorily. It is concerning that it took two attempts.