Jewish students filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, alleging that the school tolerated “rampant” antisemitism and “anti-Jewish hatred and harassment” on campus. The suit follows several similar legal complaints filed against institutions around the country following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis.
“Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and slaughtered, tortured, raped, burned, and mutilated 1,200 people — including infants, children, and the elderly — antisemitism at Harvard has been particularly severe and pervasive,” the plaintiffs, who are comprised of members of the Students Against Antisemitism organization, allege in their lawsuit.
“Mobs of pro-Hamas students and faculty have marched by the hundreds through Harvard’s campus, shouting vile antisemitic slogans and calling for death to Jews and Israel,” plaintiffs claimed. “Those mobs have occupied buildings, classrooms, libraries, student lounges, plazas, and study halls, often for days or weeks at a time, promoting violence against Jews.”
Immediately following the October 7 attack, TPUSA reported that 33 student organizations cosigned a letter authored by the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee accusing Israel of being an “apartheid regime.” The group said in no uncertain terms that it held Israel “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” Following the circulation of this letter excusing the massacre that occurred, groups of Palestine supporters began demonstrating throughout campus, going so far as to occupy a student building for 24 hours at one point.
According to the Boston Herald, one incident on campus involved pro-Palestinian protesters surrounding and intimidating a Jewish student, prompting reports being filed with the Harvard Police and the FBI.
One notable incident involved pro-Palestinian protesters surrounding a Jewish student, which led to reports being filed with the FBI and Harvard Police.
The Jewish students accuse Harvard faculty of failing to “lift a finger” to prevent or “deter this outrageous antisemitic conduct and penalize the students and faculty who perpetrate it.” Plaintiffs additionally claim that Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and explicitly called for the discipline of students and faculty “responsible for antisemitic discrimination and abuse, whether because they engage in it or permit it.”
Harvard is currently under investigation by the Department of Education (DoE) over antisemitic harassment claims. The DoE vowed to “take aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.”
The ivy league’s former president Claudine Gay, whose brief tenure concluded in a shameful resignation, faced mounting accusations of inadequately handling the conflicts on campus, on top of revelations that of academic plagiarism.
Legal action has similarly been taken against the Art Institute of Chicago, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California, Berkeley, where the last of which was accused of permitting the “longstanding, unchecked spread of antisemitism” on campus.
This piece first appeared at TPUSA.
