What happened: Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel and slaughtered more than 1,000 people.
What happened next: Some liberals in the United States took to the streets to celebrate the massacre of Jews. Others scrambled to blame former president Donald Trump for the terrorists' actions. America's elite universities responded as expected.
• Dozens of student organizations at Harvard, as well as the dean of the Graduate School of Education, released statements blaming Israel for the murder of innocent civilians at the hands of Hamas.
• Gillian Lester, dean of Columbia Law School, vaguely lamented the "violence that erupted in Israel and Gaza" while declining to mention Hamas or the terrorist group's unprovoked rampage against civilians.
• An anti-Israel student organization at Swarthmore College praised Hamas for having "valiantly confronted the imperial apparatus" and celebrated "the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for liberation."
Why it matters: It is deplorable, for starters. The morally feckless response from America's elite cultural institutions was exacerbated by the formidable response from Playboy magazine and other unlikely sources of moral clarity.
Playboy
The men's entertainment magazine cut ties with Mia Khalifa, a former porn actress and OnlyFans model, in response to her "disgusting and reprehensible comments celebrating Hamas' attacks on Israel and the murder of innocent men, women and children." Khalifa had urged the Hamas "freedom fighters" posting videos of their atrocities against Israeli civilians to "flip their phones and film horizontal."
Madonna
The former pop star and sex icon denounced the "unfathomable" assault by the "terrorist organization" Hamas. "My heart goes out to Israel," she wrote in an Instagram post.
Amy Schumer
The mid-tier sex comedian posted an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas. "There is no other side," she wrote. "Hamas is a terrorist organization. Stop sitting at home wondering how to be diplomatic. They want to murder all Jews."
Jill Zarin, Real Housewives of New York City
The reality star did not hold back. "Hamas has launched a war on Israel, killing scores of Israelis and taking civilians hostage," she wrote. "America must stand with Israel as it protects its people."
New York Jets
The woebegone NFL franchise condemned the "vicious attacks by Hamas on the innocent people of Israel."
Philadelphia 76ers
The perennially underperforming NBA team issued the following statement: "We stand with the people of Israel and join them in mourning the hundreds of innocent lives lost to terrorism at the hands of Hamas."
PhillyVoice
The local media outlet fired NBA reporter Jackson Frank, who responded to the 76ers' statement by writing: "This post sucks! Solidarity with Palestine always."
Hewlett Packard
Antonio Neri, CEO of the printing conglomerate, wrote: "The attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians is unjustified and inexcusable."
Al Sharpton, notorious anti-Semite
The MSNBC host came across as semi-reasonable during his interview with anti-Israel activist Diana Buttu, who refused to condemn the Hamas atrocities after Sharpton pressed her several times to do so. "It's the natural consequence of [Israeli oppression]," she said. "I didn't do it."
Barack Obama, Netflix producer
The celebrity filmmaker and Martha's Vineyard resident spent several days workshopping his response to the slaughter of Israeli civilians by Hamas. Nevertheless, Obama's statement was still significantly better than the ones coming out of the Ivy League.
"All Americans should be horrified and outraged by the brazen terrorist attacks on Israel and the slaughter of innocent civilians," he wrote. "We grieve for those who died, pray for the safe return of those who’ve been held hostage, and stand squarely alongside our ally, Israel, as it dismantles Hamas."
Bottom line: Our elite institutions are rotten to the core.