Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Criticizes Harvard, MIT, and Penn Presidents for Capitol Hill Testimony on Antisemitism

 

Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, has expressed strong disapproval of the recent testimony given by the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during a Capitol Hill hearing on December 5. The hearing, titled 'Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism,' focused on addressing concerns about rising antisemitism on their respective campuses.

Bourla specifically criticized the university presidents' responses to a question posed by New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik regarding whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" goes against the universities' codes of conduct. All three presidents, Claudine Gay of Harvard, Elizabeth Magill of Penn, and Sally Kornbluth of MIT, asserted that the answer depends on the context, drawing significant criticism.

Bourla described the presidents' testimony as one of the most despicable moments in the history of U.S. academia. He expressed shame at their refusal to condemn racist, antisemitic hate rhetoric, attributing it to hiding behind the concept of "context." Bourla shared his personal connection to the Holocaust, with family members who perished in Auschwitz, questioning whether their deaths would have provided enough "context" for the presidents to condemn antisemitic propaganda.

During the hearing, the university presidents faced scrutiny for several hours, addressing questions about disciplinary actions against students involved in antisemitic acts, hiring practices to ensure diverse viewpoints among faculty, and measures to ensure campus safety. The controversy arose when the presidents hesitated to categorically state that calling for the genocide of Jews is against their universities' codes of conduct, with their responses varying on the dependence on context.