In prank, Harvard called by mother of enrolling Hamas terrorist
Clip features admissions officer seemingly unfazed by woman asking whether son's participation in Oct. 7 massacre will improve his chances of getting into elite school
A video of a prank call to the Harvard University admissions office, made by an Israeli comedian who pretends to be the mother of a Hamas terrorist, racked up millions of views on various platforms within 24 hours of its publication on Monday.
The illustrated clip produced by Racheli Rottner was the latest Israeli dig at American universities, which have come under fire for tolerating activities from students seen as downplaying the October 7 terror onslaught, supporting Hamas and targeting Jewish students on campus.
The call, which Rottner says is authentic, features a mother named Jaama whose son Hamid is angling to attend Harvard.
Jaama explains that Hamid participated in the October 7 killings and asks the admissions officer whether her son can receive a “political activism scholarship” for his efforts.
The man on the phone, who shows little sign he recognizes what the pranker is referring to, responds blandly that Harvard only offers need-based scholarships.
Jaama presses again on whether it would help that Hamid is a Hamas fighter, who took part in massacres.
Apparently running on auto-pilot, the admissions officer responds, “Everything that a student does helps them in the process.”
Jaama then assures him that her son didn’t rape any of his captives because “he’s very respectful for gender self-definition.”
“He only killed them. He’s very feminist, so it will be okay, right?” she asks.
The admissions officer, clearly nonplussed, still replies, “All I can say to you is that he can apply.”
“Because he’s very respectful for ethnic minorities. He only slaughtered white babies. We don’t need more white males in the world, right? Hello?” Jaama asks.
The admissions officer is briefly at a loss for words. Recovering, he latches on to his script. “Do you have any other admissions questions I can answer for you?”
Jaama then asks about campus conduct, checking whether drinking or smoking is allowed at Harvard.
“What about raping?” she then inquires, referring once again to crimes perpetrated during the October 7 massacre according to testimony gathered by police.
“That’s not allowed on campus either,” the now somewhat irked admissions officer responds.
“Okay, how about slaughtering babies around the campus?” Jaama asks.
“Not allowed on campus either,” he responds.
Jaama then wraps up the call, saying that her son looks forward to attending Harvard and is planning a lot of “fun activities” for the experience.
“Have a good day,” the admissions officer politely responds before hanging up.
US colleges and universities have drawn criticism over their public statements about the violence in Israel, with prominent Jewish donors in a few cases vowing to cut off institutions that they said insufficiently condemned Hamas or allowed antisemitic sentiment to flourish.
The climate has so alarmed the Biden administration that the US Education Department has given itself two weeks to create and present a plan to combat the wartime spike in campus antisemitism.
Last week, Keshet TV’s long-running satirical show “Eretz Nehederet” (“A Wonderful Country”) broadcast a skit mocking support for Palestinians among US college students. The scene depicted a pair of students giving mindless support to the Hamas terror group.
The online spread of the clip came after a week earlier, “Eretz Nehederet” — the Israeli version of “Saturday Night Live” — lampooned the BBC for what many Jews and Israelis see as pro-Palestinian bias in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.