To begin bridging campus divides: Just sit down together and listen - Harvard Gazette

"The atmosphere on campus has been tense, and many have felt hurt, isolated, and afraid since the start of the Israel-Hamas War. The first step to forgiveness and reconciliation is both simple and difficult, according to campus religious leaders. Just sit together and listen. That was the message of a Parents' Weekend panel, "Moving Forward at Harvard: A Conversation on Forgiveness." Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Rabbi Getzel Davis, and the Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts discussed their faiths' approaches to bridging divisions amid anguish and intense disagreement."

""I've been here for 13 years," said Davis. "I'm really acutely aware of the suffering and struggles that many Jewish and Israeli students had on campus. I also understand how many Muslim students and Arab students also felt incredibly stuck and targeted and afraid - and how hard it was for Christians and atheists and Buddhists and Hindus and Zoroastrians and for so many of us here.""

"Another difficulty with forgiveness on Harvard's campus, he said, was that many of the worst actors in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel - like those who doxxed students or defaced Harvard Hillel - were not members of the community. "As a result," he said, "the people who should be asking for forgiveness aren't here to do that.""

Campus atmosphere has been tense since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, leaving many students hurt, isolated, and afraid. Religious leaders from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions emphasized that sitting together and listening is the first step to forgiveness and reconciliation. Awareness exists of suffering across Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab, Christian, atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, and Zoroastrian communities. Obstacles to forgiveness include a societal reluctance to ask for forgiveness and potential dangers for those who admit fault, such as lawsuits, harassment, or physical harm. Many harmful actors after the Hamas attack were outside the campus community, complicating accountability.

Read at Harvard Gazette