WATCH | Before leaving rooms Jewish students remove marks of their religion, laments Harvard Rabbi

With anti-Semitic incidents on an uptick in varsities across the United States in the aftermath of the Israel-Gaza war, Jewish students have now started removing all marks of their religion from their physical appearance before stepping out from their rooms, a Harvard-based rabbi has lamented. In a video, shared on social media platform X, the rabbi has pointed out that any display, boards, flexes depicting any celebration of the Jewish faith needs to be “packed up and removed before nightfall”. He goes on to add that Harvard authorities have told Jewish students and teachers that any sign of their faith should not be displayed overnight since the authorities’ fear criminal activity may occur.

Listen to this rabbi at @Harvard 👇

Jews in Harvard increasingly feel the same as Jews in 1930s Germany.
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— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) December 14, 2023

“What needs to change on this campus is when students can tell me over dinner that they are no longer afraid. A few Jewish students have also confided that they look in the mirror to remove any sign of their religion from their physical appearance to avoid being attacked on the streets because they are Jewish, before they step out from their rooms,” the rabbi said. That is the reality of the Jewish community living on campus, he went on to add. Earlier last week, Harvard president Claudine Gay came under intense scrutiny following the hearing in which she and two of her peers struggled to answer questions about campus anti-Semitism. Their academic responses provoked backlash from Republican opponents, along with alumni and donors who say the university leaders are failing to stand up for Jewish students on their campuses.