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Shabbos “Alexander” Kestenbaum, a recent Harvard Divinity School graduate who emerged as one of the University’s most fervent critics after he sued the school for its alleged failure to combat campus antisemitism, will speak at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, according to a list released by the Trump campaign.
Kestenbaum confirmed to The Crimson on Sunday that he will address the convention in Milwaukee as one of 24 “everyday Americans” who are supporting former President Donald Trump to win reelection in November.
“I will be discussing the culture Harvard promotes — one of moral degradation, illiberalism, and systemic antisemitism,” Kestenbaum wrote in a statement.
University spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in a statement on Monday that “Harvard has and will continue to be unequivocal — in our words and actions — that antisemitism is not and will not be tolerated on our campus.”
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“We remain committed to combating hate and to promoting and nurturing civil dialogue and respectful engagement,” Newton wrote.
Kestenbaum said that Trump’s campaign and the RNC invited him to speak at the convention several weeks ago. He will speak between 8-9 p.m. CT.
In the months since Gay’s resignation, Kestenbaum has increasingly found an audience with Republican lawmakers. In February, he spoke at a congressional roundtable discussion about antisemitism on university campuses hosted by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during which he called Congress the “last hope” for Jewish students at Harvard.
Kestenbaum is a “lifelong Democrat who will be voting for President Trump for the first time this year,” according to a press release announcing the convention’s speakers. Kestenbaum has previously said that he supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2020 presidential election.
During his presidency, Trump signed an executive order that allowed the Department of Education to withhold federal funding from institutions that failed to address antisemitism.
Trump, however, has also received some criticism for past comments that have been described as antisemitic.
In March, Trump said that Jewish people who vote for Democrats hate Israel and “their religion” — an accusation that drew quick backlash from the Anti-Defamation League. In 2022, Trump hosted Nick Fuentes, a far-right commentator and Holocaust denier, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Several of Harvard’s loudest critics over its response to the Oct. 7 attacks have backed Trump’s campaign to win back the White House in November, including Rep. Elise M. Stefanik ’06 (R-N.Y.) and conservative activist Christopher F. Rufo. On Saturday, moments after the assassination attempt of Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, billionaire Harvard donor Bill A. Ackman ’88 endorsed the former president.
Ackman, Stefanik, and Rufo were at the helm of the ultimately successful campaign to oust former Harvard President Claudine Gay plagiarism allegations and criticism that she botched the University’s response to campus antisemitism.
Since Gay’s resignation, Harvard has continued to face scrutiny for its handling of antisemitism and pro-Palestine activism on its campus — including from the federal government, a chorus of conservative voices, and its own student body.
As a part of a House-wide probe into campus antisemitism — which began as a congressional investigation in December — House Republicans subpoenaed interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76, Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81, and Harvard Management Company CEO N.P. “Narv” Narvekar.
Kestenbaum said that he also plans to criticize members of Harvard’s leadership during his speech at the convention.
“I certainly hope that figures such as Claudine Gay, Alan Garber, and [Harvard Divinity School Dean] Marla Frederick listen for some special shoutouts,” he wrote.
—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mnamponsah.
—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at joyce.kim@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @joycekim324.
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