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This summer, Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine blocked me on Instagram.

They blocked me after I commented on one of their posts, which sought to explain why criticism of Israel is not antisemitic.

My comment did not dispute the claim made in the post, but instead brought attention to how the rhetoric of pro-Palestinian groups at Harvard has reached well past mere criticism.

“This would be a totally valid point if [the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee] didn’t compare Gaza to Auschwitz, post a cartoon with a Star of David and dollar sign, and falsely accuse ‘Zionists’ of attacking children,” I wrote. (Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine never deleted its post featuring a since-removed report from The Harvard Crimson accusing a counterprotester at the Harvard Yard encampment of attacking a child.)

Putting my concerns about antisemitism at Harvard aside, what does it say about the state of discourse on our campus when our own professors are in the business of blocking students who disagree with them?

If my professors, preceptors, and tutors are not willing to let me engage with their views – and are unwilling to engage with mine – how can I trust them to educate me?

I was reminded of this Instagram saga earlier this week, when a handful of professors, including Walter Johnson, a founder of FSJP who resigned from the group in February, decided to protest the University’s new restrictions on chalking in the Yard, viewing them as a threat to free speech.

It’s quite rich that some professors believe that chalking is fair game, but commenting on Instagram is not.

And while some might argue that FSJP can fairly determine what content is viewable on its own Instagram page, remember that Harvard has the same rights on its private property. Do these professors really believe speech is sacred everywhere?

I truly want to believe that Harvard supports and promotes open dialogue and debate. But I’m left wondering, am I welcome in these professors’ classes as a Zionist? If so, am I allowed to voice disagreement on the issue of antisemitism?

Back in April, the African and African American Resistance Organization shared a post declaring, “ZIONISTS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE,” and “There is no space for Zionism in Boston.”

As the overwhelming majority of Jews identify as Zionists, I find that post hateful and, quite frankly, frightening. But this language is also indicative of the broken state of discourse on our campus. When organizations declare that there is no space for people who believe in the existence of the Jewish state, they choose to preemptively shut down potential dialogue.

The true problem with discourse at Harvard comes when students declare that Zionists are not welcome, and when faculty then block Zionist students who voice moderate and reasoned disagreement.

If my presence at school is condemned by my peers and my account on Instagram is blocked by my professors, how is dialogue supposed to happen at all?

Now, more than ever, we must engage in conversations about the existence of antisemitism at Harvard. I can only hope that our professors will not shut us down.

Correction: September 9, 2024

This article has been updated to remove a section that inaccurately claimed that an antisemitic symbol appeared at a chalking protest last week. In fact, it is disputed whether the chalked figure was intended to resemble such a symbol.

Clarification: September 9, 2024

This article has been updated to clarify that Professor Walter Johnson is no longer a member of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine and was not at the time of the chalking protest.

Charles M. Covit ’27, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Lowell House.