Harvard needs to answer for ‘hunting rats’ prof who shot near a synagogue

A Harvard Law School visiting professor shot a potentially lethal pellet rifle, twice, near a Brookline, Mass., synagogue on the eve of Yom Kippur.

Then, the overeducated alleged firearms enthusiast physically resisted guards attempting to detain him.

And when authorities caught up with the shooter, Carlos Portugal Gouvea, 43, at his residence, he offered this novel excuse for unloading the weapon ahead of the Jewish Day of Atonement:

He said he was “hunting rats.”

Seriously? In a residential neighborhood outside Boston?

At a house of God, just ahead of one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar?

Jews at worship, terrorized by a prof who runs a think tank in his native Brazil focused on “social and environmental justice.”

The frightening incident unfolded Wednesday when two private security guards working at Temple Beth Zion in Brookline confronted Gouvea after hearing two loud shots and spotting him holding the pellet rifle, according to a police report.

As they approached the suspect, a “brief physical struggle” ensued with the guards. Gouvea then ran into his nearby residence before coming out moments later. He was handcuffed by cops and arrested.

Officers later found a shattered car window with a pellet lodged into the vehicle, according to a police report, demonstrating how close synagogue attendees came to grave injury. Or worse.

Gouvea is a Harvard Law School alumnus who earned a doctorate from the university in 2008 and also serves as an associate professor at the University of São Paulo Law School in Brazil.

He was arraigned Thursday in Brookline District Court, charged with illegally discharging a pellet gun, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and malicious damage of personal property. He pleaded not guilty to it all.

Adding outrage to injury, a judge then sent the shooter on his way on his own recognizance. Despite the close call with violence, no bail was set. Gouvea was simply instructed to come back to court in early November.

As of now, Gouvea has not been fired from Harvard Law. He “has been placed on administrative leave as the school seeks to learn more about this matter,” Jeff Neal, spokesman for Harvard, told The Post.

I suppose the worshipping public will just have to take comfort in the fact that the professor was a lousy shot. Will he be next time?

Why aren’t Jews adequately protected from potential harm?

Synagogue attacks are serious business. On Thursday, two men were killed and three others seriously injured after a man drove into pedestrians near a synagogue near Manchester, England, and began stabbing people with a knife before being shot dead by police.

Meanwhile, the administration of President Donald Trump has accused Harvard of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, and threatened to withdraw billions in federal funding unless major reforms were enacted.

Harvard has countered with a lawsuit challenging the legality of the government’s actions, even as both sides near a possible settlement.

But Harvard’s blasé attitude towards the latest incident demonstrates that it’s business as usual.

We need answers now.