Harvard University’s supposed effort to combat the rise of antisemitism on campus is not exactly getting off to a swimming start. After the fallout from the rampant anti-Jewish bigotry being expressed by anti-Israel groups protesting against Israel’s war against the terrorist group Hamas and its former president’s unwillingness to address the matter, the university created a task force ostensibly intended to deal with it.

However, one of the key members of the task force has stepped down from his position, citing a lack of sincerity in solving the antisemitism problem on campus. The Harvard Crimson reported that Raffaella Sadun has resigned from the group after only being appointed in January. The development casts a shadow over the future of the task force and could highlight the fact that the university only created it for PR purposes.

Harvard Business School professor Raffaella Sadun resigned from the presidential task force on antisemitism, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 appointed Sadun in January to lead the task force as a co-chair last month. Her decision to resign was confirmed in statements from Sadun and Garber on Sunday.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help advance the vital work to combat antisemitism and believe that President Garber has assembled an excellent task force,” Sadun wrote. “I will continue to support efforts to tackle antisemitism at Harvard in any way I can from my faculty position.”

“Professor Sadun has expressed her desire to refocus her efforts on her research, teaching and administrative responsibilities at HBS,” Garber wrote. “Her insights and passion for this work have helped shape the mandate for the task force and how it can best productively advance the important work ahead.”

In another article, the Harvard Crimson reported that Sadun resigned “after repeatedly considering stepping down because she felt the University would not commit to acting on its suggestions.”

Sadun sought a commitment from the University that they would act on the task force’s recommendations in advance of any being issued instead of treating them as optional advice.

A person close to Sadun said she ultimately decided to step down from the task force because its mandate did not include the swift implementation of measures to combat antisemitism. Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, the founding president of Harvard Chabad, told The Crimson that Sadun had been frustrated about the task force for some time.

This seems to suggest what many already knew: Harvard University is not serious about addressing anti-Jewish bigotry among its students and staff. But this was not the first indication that this was the case. The university had already given people a reason to doubt its commitment to this cause when it appointed an antisemitic professor to the task force.

The university has placed Jewish history professor Derek Penslar as co-chair of this task force. However, the professor’s past writings suggest that he might not be all that gung-ho about opposing antisemitism on campus.

Harvard University has created a task force to fight antisemitism on campus — and the effort is already embroiled in controversy.

The co-chair of the school’s newly appointed Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism once declared “veins of hatred run through Jewish civilization,” according to his 2023 book.

“Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians from their land and oppression of those who remain have made it one of the most disliked countries on the planet,” Jewish history professor Derek Penslar claimed in his tome, “Zionism: An Emotional State,” in which he wrote, “Jewish culture was steeped in fantasies (and occasionally, acts) of vengeance against Christians.”

Shortly after Gay resigned as president of Harvard, Penslar downplayed the apparent rise of antisemitic sentiments on campus. He told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that people had “exaggerated” the matter.

Sadun’s resignation, combined with other key figures stepping down, represents the most prominent occurrence showing that Harvard’s dedication to dealing with anti-Jewish bigotry isn’t as sincere as they would have us believe. This new task force is simply a way for the university to avoid scrutiny by making it appear as if they plan to do something about the problem.