Harvard faces more fallout following Claudine Gay’s congressional testimony on antisemitism

A prestigious business school in Vienna has announced it’s severing ties with Harvard University following a pattern of antisemitism on its campus.

The Lauder Business School announced the end its multi-year partnership with Harvard at the end of the year.

“Since 2014, Lauder Business School has been a proud affiliate of Professor Michael Porter’s Microeconomics of Competitiveness Network at Harvard University’s [sic],” the school stated. “Lauder Business School has withdrawn from this network and expresses solidarity with the Jewish student community at Harvard University in light of recent events.”

Lauder also announced it will be “forming new partnerships that are more closely aligned with our values and standards.” 

The Vienna school was founded by Jewish billionaire and heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics company Ronald Lauder. 

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach pointed out the irony of an institute in Austria, a country that persecuted Jews during the Holocaust, schooling an American institute on antisemitism.  

“You know American universities are screwed when it’s the Austrians who have to sever ties with Harvard because of American academic antisemitism,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach posted on X. “This is one of the most astonishing headlines I’ve ever seen.” 

The Lauder Business School is just the most recent in a long list of Harvard affiliates cutting ties with the university over its failure to definitely condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.  

The Wexner Foundation, a respected philanthropic entity focusing on Jewish leadership, pulled its financial support from Harvard University in October. 

Leslie Wexner and his wife, Abigail, donated more than $42 million to Harvard University before 2012. One of the university’s main buildings is named after Leslie Wexner, according to The Harvard Crimson.  

Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife Batia quit the Harvard executive board in October. The Ofer’s were said to be “significant supporters” of Harvard, according to VINnews.  

“Unfortunately, our faith in the University’s leadership has been broken and we cannot in good faith continue to support Harvard and its committees,” the couple said, according to CBS News.  

Earlier this month, billionaire Len Blavatnik and his family foundation suspended all donations to Harvard. 

The Blavatnik Family Foundation has given more than $270 million to Harvard, including approximately $200 million for Harvard’s medical school, according to Jewish News. 

Jewish Billionaire Bill Ackman and Harvard alum claims he knows of more than a billion dollars in donations Harvard has lost out in since October, because of its handling of antisemitism.   

“President Gay’s failures have led to billions of dollars of cancelled, paused, and withdrawn donations to the university,” Ackman wrote, according to the Daily Mail. “I am personally aware of more than a billion dollars of terminated donations from a small group of Harvard’s most generous Jewish and non-Jewish alumni.”