An excellent piece in the Nation this week by Michael Massing documents that Ken Roth–the man who affixed the apartheid label on Israel as head of Human Rights Watch in 2021 — lost out on a fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School last year because of his criticism of Israel. Massing quotes Roth and a Kennedy School official saying the offer from a human rights center at the school was withdrawn because of the Israel issue. Then Massing identifies several pro-Israel donors he suggests had influence over the dean, Douglas Elmendorf.

Alan Dershowitz has sought to undermine victims of Jeffrey Epstein– notably Maria Farmer– by suggesting that they are motivated by antisemitism. He has distorted Farmer’s comments in typical fashion.

Jeffrey Epstein, the financier charged with sex trafficking, had friendships with many Israel supporters, from Les Wexner to Ehud Barak to Larry Summers. And there is speculation that Epstein, a mysterious international figure, had links to Israeli intelligence. Alan Dershowitz, Epstein’s former lawyer, says Israel is a factor in the case, alleging that the New Yorker is investigating his role in the case so as to hurt Netanyahu.