Harvard Requested Kestenbaum Delete X Post Denouncing DEI Officer

Harvard requested Harvard Divinity School graduate Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum remove a critical social media post about Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sherri A. Charleston because it was “highly inflammatory and personal,” according to emails made public as part of Kestenbaum’s ongoing lawsuit against Harvard.

Kestenbaum argued the request is evidence of a double standard by Harvard, after the University lawyers opposed a motion by two unnamed Jewish students to join Kestenbaum’s complaint using pseudonyms. The two students cited fears of harassment and retaliation.

In a March 5 post on X, Kestenbaum called Charleston a “known plagiarist” and addressed her as “DEI officer Sherri,” responding to an email Charleston sent to University affiliates earlier that day condemning a former Harvard employee who tore down posters of Israeli hostages.

Kestenbaum encouraged viewers to contact Charleston — who was accused last spring of plagiarism in her academic writing — and said her email was evidence of a “blatant double standard” against Jewish students.

Hours later, Harvard officials contacted a lawyer for Kestenbaum, who is suing the University under Title VI for failing to protect students from antisemitism, and asked him to remove the post or omit Charleston’s name.

The initial request to remove the post was not released in filings from Kestenbaum’s counsel, but a subsequent email exchange between Kestenbaum’s attorney Mark I. Pinkert, and Mark A. Kirsch, an attorney representing Harvard, was submitted as part of Kestenbaum’s amended complaint on March 20.

According to the filings, Pinkert wrote that he would inform Kestenbaum of the request, but that Charleston holds a “high-level and prominent position” at Harvard, the contact information included was publicly available, and the email she sent to affiliates had been reported in The Crimson.

Pinkert wrote that Harvard was trying to protect its diversity officer from being identified publicly, but still opposed the motion by two students to remain anonymous in the lawsuit.

“I asked you to ask Mr. Kestenbaum to take down his post about Ms. Charleston, because it was highly inflammatory and personal, including name-calling and making an ugly implication about her, and concluding with an attempt to belittle her further as ‘DEI officer Sherri’ when urging others to contact her,” Kirsch responded.

“You know well that the issue about the post is not one of public identification,” Harvard’s lawyer added, disputing the argument that the earlier request could be compared to the lawsuit complaint response.

“The issue is, with Mr. Kestenbaum using such personally demeaning language in a call for action, what kind of personal responses that call may generate from some,” he said. “It doesn’t take a Harvard education to figure it out.”

A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment on the court documents.

“Harvard requested he remove the post for concern that this high-level officer might receive harassing calls and emails,” Kestenbaum’s lawyers wrote in the Friday memorandum filed in support of the two students’ earlier motion to remain anonymous.

“Harvard tries to protect everyone else on campus, except Jews,” the memorandum stated.

Kestenbaum did not delete the March 5 post. The next day, he published another post critical of Charleston on X.

—Staff writer Sebastian B. Connolly can be reached at sebastian.connolly@thecrimson.com and on X @SebastianC4784.

—Staff writer Julia A. Karabolli can be reached at julia.karabolli@thecrimson.com.