Become a Member
USA

Harvard adopts IHRA definition after settling antisemitism lawsuits

The agreement builds in protections against more contentious forms of Jew-hatred, including comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany

January 22, 2025 10:52
Harvard Getty 2153710467
Harvard University has settled a pair of lawsuits alleging antisemitic discrimination filed in the wake of pro-Palestine campus protests (Image: Getty)

ByVita Fellig, Jewish News Syndicate

3 min read

Harvard University has settled two federal lawsuits alleging antisemitic discrimination on campus following nearly a year of wrangling.

As part of the agreement, the famous college will incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, and the contemporary examples appended to the definition, when evaluating allegations of discrimination

The university was sued in May 2024 in the wake of pro-Palestinian campus protests that emerged after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center, which brought the suit, and a former US assistant secretary of education, told JNS that Harvard’s announcement marks a shift beyond symbolic gestures.