Harvard president Claudine Gay issues first REAL apology two days after saying calling for 'genocide of Jews' only constitutes harassment 'depending on the context'

Harvard president Claudine Gay has finally issued an apology for the antisemitic scandal caused by her remarks before Congress on Tuesday, after previous statements were slammed for missing the mark. 

Gay sparked widespread backlash this week as she claimed that calls for the genocide of Jewish people would only be wrong 'depending on the context'. 

The comment led to furious outrage as Gay was condemned, including by the White House, leading the educator to issue a groveling apology to The Harvard Crimson on Thursday. 

'I am sorry. Words matter,' she said. 'When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret.' 

Gay insisted her controversial stance came in the heat of the moment at the end of an hours-long testimony, and she 'got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures.' 

'What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community - threats to our Jewish students - have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged,' she added. 

Gay's remarks before Congress saw her square off with New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik at the end of her hours-long testimony, in a hostile back-and-forth that circulated widely online. 

Stefanik asked the Harvard president 'does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?' at her university. 

In response, Gay said: 'It can be, depending on the context.'

Stefanik continued the line of questioning as she insisted it was a yes or no question. 

'Antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation — that is actionable conduct and we do take action,' Gay said, with many feeling her stance was not strong enough. 

Gay then repeated that calls for genocide were only a violation depending on 'the context' several times, leading Stefanik to berate her before the House. 

'It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes and this is why you should resign,' the representative said. 'These are unacceptable answers across the board.' 

The fiery hearing also saw similarly vague stances on antisemitism from University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill and MIT president Sally Kornbluth, who have also faced calls for their resignation as a result of their testimony. 

Magill faces being told by UPenn's board today that she should step down from her job, after its members held an emergency meeting in the wake of her disastrous appearance.  

The White House joined the criticism of Gay, Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth, with a spokesperson saying calls for genocide are 'monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country.'

Gay's testimony also comes amid increasing threats and violent antisemitic incidents on college campuses, with footage shared to social media appearing to show the editor of the Harvard Law review targeting an Israeli student on the Harvard campus last month.  

Amid national outrage, Gay issued a highly criticized walk-back the day after, where she argued her words were 'confused' and insisted Harvard was intent on combatting antisemitism. 

'There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students,' she said. 

'Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.'

The Harvard leader has faced mounting calls for her to resign from her lucrative position in the wake of the scandal, and the leadership of the Harvard Hillel - the university's Jewish community - have said they do not trust her to protect Jewish students on campus. 

She has now said she failed to 'convey what is my truth' during the hearing, and said she regrets her words as they were made in the heat of the moment after her hours-long testimony turned hostile. 

'I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures,' Gay said.

'What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged.' 

Gay added that she 'failed to convey what is my truth', but said she has no regrets at attending the Congressional hearing and offering her stance on the poignant issue of antisemitism. 

'When the committee invited me to attend the hearing, I didn’t hesitate to agree,' she said. 'It was an opportunity to just convey the depth of both my personal commitment and the institutional commitment to combating antisemitism.' 

The Harvard Crimson noted that her testimony had the opposite effect on campus, as one of its editorial editors, Harvard Hillel President Jacob Miller, joined Hillel Campus Rabbi Getzel Davis in writing a scathing open letter in response on Tuesday evening. 

'President Gay’s failure to properly condemn this speech calls into question her ability to protect Jewish students on Harvard’s campus,' the Hillel leadership wrote. 

'President Gay’s testimony fails to reassure us that the University is seriously concerned about the antisemitic rhetoric pervasive on campus.'