Lawmakers grill the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn over antisemitism on campus

Claudine Gay (from left), president of Harvard University, Liz Magill, president of University of Pennsylvania, Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University, and Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT testified on Capitol Hill about rising antisemitism on their campuses, an issue that has plagued institutions of higher learning across the country in recent months.

Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel's military response in Gaza have fueled tensions, protests and even violence across the U.S., with reports of both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents surging dramatically since then.