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Harvard University has settled two lawsuits about antisemitism that were put together by a federal judge in November 2024. These lawsuits obviously made Harvard look bad and suggested that Ivy League schools might be places where anti-Jewish hatred and support for terrorism are growing.
As reported earlier by Jewish outlet The Algemeiner, Harvard was hit with two separate lawsuits in 2024. One was from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which claimed that Harvard didn't punish a professor who mistreated Israeli-Jewish students, even after an outside investigation confirmed it. This, they said, broke federal civil rights laws. The other lawsuit came from Students Against Antisemitism (SAA), who argued that Harvard didn't do enough to stop a wave of antisemitic actions on campus, like harassment and hate speech.
Initially, Harvard tried to get the lawsuits dismissed in court, arguing that the claims "lacked standing" and didn't hold up legally, all while stating, "the importance of the need to address antisemitism at the university," according to court documents.
With the settlement, which came just one day after President Donald Trump's inauguration — who promised to tax universities where antisemitism is widespread — Harvard avoids a long legal battle that the Jewish community might have seen as a refusal to acknowledge the discrimination faced by Jewish students.
“Today’s settlement reflects Harvard’s enduring commitment to ensuring our Jewish students, faculty, and staff are embraced, respected, and supported,” Harvard stated in a press release. “We will continue to strengthen our policies, systems, and operations to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate and ensure all members of the Harvard community have the support they need to pursue their academic, research, and professional work and feel they belong on our campus and in our classrooms.”
According to the agreement, Harvard will use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in its non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies (NDAB), recognize Zionism as central to Jewish identity, and clearly state that targeting someone because of their Zionism violates school rules.
The Harvard Crimson reported that one plaintiff, Shabbos Kestenbaum, has decided not to join the settlement and is seeking his own legal action with a new lawyer.
All other involved parties praised the case's outcome as a step forward.
“We are heartened that Harvard has agreed to take numerous important steps necessary to creating a welcoming environment free from anti-Semitic hate, discrimination, and harassment,” Brandeis Center chairman Kenneth Marcus said in a statement about the settlement. “We thank those within Harvard, including administrators, faculty, students, and alumni, who have worked tirelessly to achieve this result. In turn, we look forward to working with Harvard on the important work in this agreement to ensure that the rights of all students are protected.”
SAA attorney Marc Kasowtiz told Reuters, “These measures are going to be very, very protective of the interests and rights of Jewish students on the Harvard campus.”
Harvard isn't the first elite school to settle such a claim by Jewish students.
In June, Columbia University settled a lawsuit where it was accused of failing to provide a safe learning environment during rowdy pro-Hamas protests at the end of the school year. The settlement included hiring "Safe Passage Liaisons" to watch over protests and "walking escorts" to protect students. Other parts of the agreement offered "accommodations" for students whose studies were affected by protests and new security measures for controlling who enters the school.
In July, New York University (NYU) settled a lawsuit for an undisclosed amount after three students claimed the university was "deliberately indifferent" to antisemitic discrimination. Like Harvard, NYU agreed to formally acknowledge Zionism as part of Jewish identity.
