Statement on Harvard’s dismissal of Cemal Kafadar and Rosie Bsheer from leadership of the Center for Middle East Studies
From: Concerned Jewish Faculty and Staff - Boston Area & the Genocide and Holocaust Studies Crisis Network
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April 6, 2025
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On Wednesday March 26, the Interim Harvard Dean of Social Science David M. Cutler dismissed the faculty leaders of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). This includes Dr. Cemal Kafadar, a professor of Turkish Studies and CMES’ now-former director and Dr. Rosie Bsheer, assistant professor of History and CMES’ now-former associate director. We unequivocally condemn Harvard University for what appears to be another act of sacrificing members of its own institution who advocate for Palestinian human rights; in so doing, Harvard legitimizes President Trump’s cynical weaponization of antisemitism.
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Based on available information, Harvard dismissed Professors Kafadar and Bsheer after Harvard-affiliated individuals levied tendentious accusations that two Spring 2025 events–one on the war in Lebanon and one on the targeting of children in Gaza–were antisemitic and lacked “balance.” This follows a pattern of baseless allegations targeting CMES and its leadership, many of which appear uncritically lifted from a document produced by the “Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance.” The document, which reads as a smear campaign designed to discredit and silence speech critical of Israel, accused CMES and faculty from roughly 20 other schools or departments of promoting the view that “known terrorist groups are simply‘political movements.’” The document specifically targets Kafadar and Bsheer for their role in preparing a reading list that facilitated an understanding of Palestinian perspectives on the ongoing conflict.
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Despite its sweeping accusations, the document relies on testimonies from 42 Jewish students (6% of Harvard’s Jewish population) and provides no evidence of sanctionable behavior. While universities must take seriously all claims of bias or harassment–whether antisemitism or otherwise–the document’s actual allegations appear to criticize faculty for engaging in legitimate academic discourse surrounding Israel and Palestine. It is hard to imagine more appropriate discourse for a university setting. Given the paucity of evidence that either Kafadar or Bsheer did anything worthy of discipline, one is left to ask whether Harvard’s leadership made any effort to meaningfully investigate the claims.
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As the most well-resourced university in the world, Harvard is positioned to counter the Trump administration’s assault on higher education, free and open inquiry, and democracy itself. Harvard could have joined the nearly 3,200 Jewish higher education workers and students around the country “united in denouncing, without equivocation, anyone who invokes our name – and cynical claims of antisemitism – to harass, expel, arrest, or deport members of our campus community.” Yet rather than defend its own faculty against unsubstantiated smears, Harvard has elected to join a growing list of universities whose shameful action will only fuel the racism and antisemitism that animates President Trump’s antidemocratic agenda.
We stand beside Professors Kafadar and Bsheer and their right to academic freedom free from interference, intimidation or punishment.
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