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Harvard's Jewish faculty have their own wish list for a deal with Trump

Jewish faculty, through Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff, a group of Boston-area-based Jewish faculty, are calling on Harvard to protect free expression, academic freedom and resist the 'weaponization' of antisemitism as the institution is in talks with the federal government to create a deal after months of challenges. 'Those negotiations are framed by the Trump administration's groundless allegations of institutionalized antisemitism. The accusations have been used to suppress academic freedom and create a climate of fear at Harvard and throughout the US, particularly among Arab and Muslim community members and those who support Palestinian rights,' the faculty wrote in an open letter to Harvard on Monday. The group is made up of 150 Jewish faculty at Harvard and 24 other Boston-area universities. Read more: 'Devastating': 10 Harvard researchers detail 'essential' work set to be cut by Trump President Donald Trump boasted on Friday of a 'mindbogglingly HISTORIC' deal with Harvard University. In April, the Trump administration demanded an overhaul of Harvard's leadership structure, admissions and hiring. If the university didn't comply, it risked losing $9 billion in funding, the federal government said. The actions were taken in the name of antisemitism, as the Trump administration claimed Harvard failed to protect Jewish students, particularly in the wake of the war in Gaza. Harvard rejected the administration's demands and set the stage for a historic showdown, leading to two lawsuits — one of which centered on Harvard's ability to enroll international students. It also led to a series of other funding cuts and cuts to research funding. The university has so far largely prevailed in court in lawsuits against the Trump administration, with a federal judge granting a preliminary injunction on Friday, allowing Harvard University's international students to continue attending school until the legality of the case is decided. Read more: Alums urge Harvard to resist compromise with Trump as reports of deal emerge In its first lawsuit against the Trump administration, Harvard garnered the support of 12,000 alumni. Other individuals and groups also expressed their support through amicus briefs, including two dozen universities, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Council on Education, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — also known as FIRE — and Columbia Alumni for Academic Freedom. In the open letter, faculty wrote that the two task force reports on Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab and Anti-Palestinian Bias, and on Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias 'make clear that the actions of the Trump administration are not the only cause of the crisis in our academic community.' 'Harvard's own voluntary cooperation with the weaponization of antisemitism allegations has also taken a significant toll,' the faculty wrote. The group of Jewish faculty said that the university's report on Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab and Anti-Palestinian Bias didn't offer 'meaningful corrective action' compared to the other report, which was more robust. In negotiating with the Trump administration, the group said the university should apply academic freedom evenly by protecting the right of freedom of expression to all students, regardless of their viewpoint on the war in Gaza. 'Without robust protections for freedom of expression and protest, these calls for 'viewpoint diversity' come across as an attempt to mandate inclusion of pro-Israel perspectives, and give false legitimacy to the Trump administration's attacks on higher education,' the group wrote. The group also pointed to the institution canceling programming on the war in Gaza and dismissing staff at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies; the Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative as examples for sidelining pro-Palestinian voices. 'As the university now moves toward a negotiated settlement, its resistance to President Trump's assault on its core values must continue. However, such resistance will only be effective if Harvard applies its defense of academic freedom consistently, and opposes the cynical use of 'antisemitism' and 'viewpoint diversity' to control and police research and evidence-based discourse on Israel-Palestine,' the group said. These 16 states are supporting the Trump admin in lawsuit with Harvard Alums urge Harvard to resist compromise with Trump as reports of deal emerge 'Devastating': 10 Harvard researchers detail 'essential' work set to be cut by Trump Federal judge halts Trump's plans to keep Harvard from enrolling foreign students Harvard researcher's work gives 'hope' for Parkinson's. But the feds cut his funding Read the original article on MassLive.