Sheryl WuDunn was named vice chair of Harvard’s Board of Overseers executive committee for 2026-27, drawing criticism over the timing because her husband Nicholas Kristof published a disputed May 11 column weeks earlier.
That column alleged abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli guards, including a claim that dogs were trained to rape humans; Israel threatened legal action, while Kristof and the New York Times defended the piece.
Critics said WuDunn’s repost of the Times’ defense and her long professional collaboration with Kristof made the appointment especially problematic, even though no public evidence shows she helped produce the column.
Harvard alumni and students cited the move as another test of the university’s handling of antisemitism complaints, an issue that has dogged the school since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack and subsequent campus fallout.
With a federal lawsuit looming, why did Harvard appoint a leader tied to a major antisemitism controversy?
Can Harvard's leadership restore public trust after elevating a figure defending controversial 'fact-checked' journalism?