Harvard University Forced Jews to Hide Their Hanukkah Menorah (Video)

In a move that has caused outrage and highlighted deeper issues of Islamic religious intolerance, Harvard University has mandated a Jewish student group to discreetly store their Hanukkah menorah each night after its lighting. This directive, rooted in fears of vandalism, particularly by Muslim students and their left-wing allies, casts another shadow over Harvard, and shows their support of antisemitic radicals.

Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, the respected leader of Harvard Chabad, has been at the forefront of this troubling situation. For the past 24 years, the tradition of lighting a large menorah in Harvard Yard has been a beacon of Jewish pride and religious observance. Yet, each night, as the celebrations wind down, the menorah is packed away, hidden from potential radicals and, seemingly, from the university’s own unease with its presence.

This year’s Hanukkah brought Harvard’s antisemitism into sharper focus. At a recent menorah lighting ceremony, attended by Harvard President Claudine Gay, Rabbi Zarchi voiced the Jewish community’s growing frustration. “We didn’t feel [the university’s support] last night,” he stated, referencing an attack on Jewish Professor Steven Pinker during a previous night’s Hanukkah event. The silence from the university, in the wake of more antisemitic aggression, speaks volumes about the climate of fear and apprehension that Jewish students and faculty face.

Adding to the controversy, President Gay’s recent congressional testimony about the permissibility of calls for genocide against Jews on campus has only fueled the fire. Her suggestion that such threats need to be contextualized has been perceived as a tacit acceptance of antisemitic sentiments in the hallowed halls of Harvard.

This stance starkly contrasts with the university’s stringent policies against “misgendering” and violations of progressive language norms, where no contextual justification is permitted. This discrepancy in addressing language that calls for the genocide of Jews versus enforcing rules on gender identity language underscores a troubling inconsistency in Harvard’s approach.

Rabbi Zarchi gave an impassioned speech at the menorah lighting that was not just a reflection of the Jewish community’s current plight but also a call to action. He highlighted the stark contrast between the Hanukkah spirit, which commemorates the Jewish struggle for religious freedom, and the reality at Harvard, where the menorah’s public presence is curtailed.

Zarchi spoke of Jewish faculty and students being harassed and afraid to appear as identifiably Jewish on campus. He spoke of how, after hosting a screening of IDF footage of the Hamas terror organization’s war crimes in Israel, Harvard police called to advise him to hire security to protect his family and students. He recounted the silence not only of Harvard’s faculty but his fellow university chaplains, none of whom could muster the strength to condemn a genocidal attack on the Jewish people.

The dilemma of the hidden menorah at Harvard is symbolic of a larger issue. It’s not just about a religious artifact being concealed; it’s about the very essence of religious expression and tolerance being challenged. As Rabbi Zarchi poignantly noted, the menorah’s light should be a beacon of hope and resilience, visible to all. It should not just be a symbol of Jewish tradition, but a reminder of the universal right to religious expression, free from fear and prejudice.