Harvard professor's wife faces backlash for verbal harassment of student in keffiyeh

By Irmak Akcan

The wife of a Harvard University professor was caught on camera verbally harassing a Harvard graduate student for wearing a keffiyeh.

In the footage, Eve Gerber follows the student wearing the keffiyeh and says, "Thank you for walking through neighborhoods and making families feel unsafe with your terrorist scarf".

The female student responds, "Palestinians felt pretty unsafe when Israelis occupied their country, you know".

Gerber, the wife of economics professor Jason Furman, acknowledged the inappropriateness of her actions, saying on X that it was wrong for her "to confront someone based on their dress and to use divisive, accusatory language".

"In the two months since this video, I’ve tried to learn more and take reparative action. I will continue to do so," Gerber wrote. "I deeply regret what I said and did".

In her Wednesday statement, Gerber said the incident occurred after she heard "chants I found disturbing at a rally near my home," leading her to confront the student because she believed they had come from the rally.

Gerber is facing national backlash over the October incident, with members of Congress weighing in online to condemn her.

In a text message sent six days after the incident, Furman wrote that there is "absolutely no excuse" for Gerber’s actions.

"I’m sorry," he wrote. "No one should have to go through what your friend has gone through."