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A large number of harvard student organizations blamed Israel solely for hamas terrorist attacks killing 700 civilians. Bill Ackman reacted strongly to this and asked Harvard to name the students blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks so that he and other CEOs don’t hire them by accident.
“I have been asked by a number of CEOs if @harvard would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members.
If, in fact, their members support the letter they have released, the names of the signatories should be made public so their views are publicly known.
One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists, who, we now learn, have beheaded babies, among other inconceivably despicable acts,” Ackman stated.
Ackman clarified that he is not opposed to Israel being criticized but it cannot be at the cost of supporting Hamas.
“There is nothing wrong with criticizing Israel. But if you state that Israeli is ‘entirely responsible’ for Hamas’ egregious acts, you should stand up and be counted, not hide in anonymity behind the corporate veil of a student group.”
Ackman’s criticism had the desired impact with the Nepali Harvard students withdrawing their support to the Memorandum.
I have been asked by a number of CEOs if @harvard would release a list of the members of each of the Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas’ heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their… https://t.co/7kzGOAGwp9
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) October 10, 2023
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Breaking News:
Davis Polk, one of the country’s most prestigious law firms, announced in an internal email that it has rescinded letters of employment for three law students at Harvard and Columbia who signed the organizational statements supporting Hamas against Israel.
This is just a reminder that everything we do in life matters; everything.
And everything we do in life has consequences; everything.
No matter how privileged, wealthy, powerful, or respected someone is… there is no escaping this truism.
Breaking News:
Davis Polk, one of the country’s most prestigious law firms, announced in an internal email that it has rescinded letters of employment for three law students at Harvard and Columbia who signed the organizational statements supporting Hamas against Israel.
This… pic.twitter.com/doOOwHW3qo
— Rabbi Shmuel Reichman (@ShmuelReichman) October 17, 2023
A Harvard student named Mohini Tangri pointed out that she had no say in the signing of the letter and was feeling harassed.
“I’m a @Harvard_Law student. So I know many members had no say in whether their orgs signed either letter. Many weren’t even notified that their orgs were considering doing so. No need for this level of harassment,” she stated.
In reply, Bill Ackman advised her to issue a disclaimer that she has no role to play in the matter and does not agree with the views of the students’ organisation.
“Some advice for students:
If an organization of which you are a member puts out a public statement you disagree with, you have a few choices.
You can:
Stay silent and have the entire world conclude that you stand by the statement.
Convince the other members of the group to withdraw or otherwise modify the statement so that it can reflect the views of all members.
Or you can resign in protest.
Claiming that you had no involvement or knowledge of the statement, but remaining a member of the organization without it withdrawing the statement is perhaps the worst of the alternatives, as it appears to simply be an attempt to avoid accountability while continuing to be a member of the organization.
If you were managing a business, would you hire someone who blamed the despicable violent acts of a terrorist group on the victims?
I don’t think so.
Would you hire someone who was a member of a school club who issued a statement blaming lynchings by the KKK on their victims?
I don’t think so.
Would you want them to be an associate at your law firm?
Of course not.
It is not harassment to seek to understand the character of the candidates that you are considering for employment.
In fact, as CEO, it is your obligation to do so on behalf of all of the other employees in your company, the clients and customers it serves, and all of your other stakeholders.
I have heard that the above inquiry has made some members of the groups which put out the statement feel ‘unsafe,’ a word that is sadly overused in universities today.
Ask yourself how unsafe it would feel in Israel beginning Saturday early morning and how unsafe it feels now?
Ask yourself how unsafe your Jewish classmates feel when 32 clubs published a statement assigning sole responsibility for the heinous, deathly acts of terrorists to Israel and the Jews?
Experience is making mistakes and learning from them. If you have made a mistake, acknowledge it, and immediately correct your mistaken actions.
Public statements made by organizations of which you are a member can have a material negative impact on your reputation.
I have learned from experience that the best time to fix a mistake is now.”
Some advice for students:
If an organization of which you are a member puts out a public statement you disagree with, you have a few choices.
You can:
Stay silent and have the entire world conclude that you stand by the statement.
Convince the other members of the group to… https://t.co/WEZ4kzqLBf
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) October 12, 2023
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