The Wexner Foundation, a non-profit group created by billionaire L Brands founder Leslie Wexner, announced on Monday that it is cutting ties with Harvard University over the school’s “dismal failure” to condemn the actions of Hamas militants in Israel.
The foundation’s withdrawal of financial support comes after more than 30 student groups issued a declaration in support of Palestine and blamed the Israeli government for the violence.
The Wexner Foundation, which exists to “develop and inspire leaders in the North American Jewish community and the State of Israel,” was founded in the early 1980s by Leslie “Les” Wexner, owner of clothing companies like Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. The foundation has spawned multiple sub-divisions offering scholarships and heritage programs for emerging Jewish professionals and leaders. The organization is now co-chaired by Wexner and his wife, Abigail.
“While we intend to develop new strategies and initiatives to develop Israel’s civil service leaders, The Wexner Foundation is formally ending its financial and programmatic relationships with Harvard and the Harvard Kennedy School,” read an open letter to the Harvard Board of Overseers. “The current class of Wexner Israel Fellows, Class 34, will be the last to complete the MPA Program and we will no longer send Wexner Senior Leaders for the Executive Program.”
Wexner-Foundation-Letter-to-Harvard-UniversityDownload
After more than three decades of partnering with the Ivy League university, the letter’s signatories report that Harvard’s “cherished tolerance for diverse perspectives has slowly but perceptibly narrowed over the years.”
(RELATED: Harvard University Named America’s Worst School for Free Speech)
“We are stunned and sickened at the dismal failure of Harvard’s leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists last Saturday,” the letter continued. It further stated that Jewish students and foundation members feel “abandoned” in light of the “tiptoeing and equivocating” by university leadership in response to recent activities from pro-Palestine student groups.
Last week, Harvard drew criticism for its response to a joint statement from 31 student organizations holding Israel “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”
Today, the Palestinian ordeal enters into uncharted territory,” the resolution read in part. “The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation. We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians.”
Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in PalestineDownload
The release of the document was followed by a pro-Palestine rally on Harvard’s campus, mirroring those held at other schools and in major cities across the country.
Harvard’s response to the statement was criticized as “lackluster” by donors and prominent alumni despite University President Claudine Gay saying that the school rejects terrorism and “hate of any group of people based on their faith, their national origin, or any aspect of their identity.”
Gay also clarified that “while our students have the right to speak for themselves, no student group — not even 30 student groups — speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.” However, she stopped short of sanctioning the groups or penalizing the undersigned students in any way.
In response to the Wexner Foundation pulling its nearly $2 million in grants and donations to the school, students and online commentators have called it “good riddance” based on Les Wexner’s longtime friendship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner had previously apologized for his ties to the late sex trafficker and stepped down as CEO of L Brands shortly after Epstein’s alleged suicide.
Add comment