To the Editor: Hillel Welcomes Critical Dialogue, Not Bigoted Protest

Last Monday, Violet T.M. Barron ’26 and others chanted “Zionists not welcome here” outside Harvard Hillel to protest an event featuring Ronen Manelis, a former spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces. Then, she wrote an op-ed defending the chant.

One’s views on the war between Israel and Hamas should not matter in recognizing that calling for the expulsion of the majority of Jews on campus in front of Harvard’s largest Jewish institution is bigoted.

Barron claims that, in reaction to these offensive chants, “Hillel had the chance to change course.” I would ask her: What course would you have us take? Does it involve formally expelling students from Hillel because you are unhappy with them expressing their beliefs through constructive dialogue rather than flashy and uninformative protest? Would you have us declare only a single acceptable form of Judaism that aligns with your beliefs, simply because you have decided that those with whom you disagree do not deserve to be accepted?

Hillel draws one very simple line in terms of acceptable forms of Judaism: One person’s expression of Judaism cannot deny another’s. One can keep kosher without denying another person’s right to eat pork. One person can sleep in on Shabbat without denying someone else’s choice to attend services. And similarly, there is plenty of space within Hillel to criticize Israel in a respectful manner — unless it necessitates denying the inclusion of those who support it.

Barron argues that Harvard Hillel “fails to serve as a home of its own.” Those who feel like Hillel must change and are willing to work with us to change it are more than welcome. But if your desire for change only manifests through empty protests and a unilateral decree that your form of Judaism must be practiced to the detriment of anybody else’s, then Hillel will proudly stand with those who seek to strengthen and broaden our community, rather than those who want only to exclude and ignore.

Nathan B. Gershengorn ’26 is the president of Harvard Hillel.