Harvard settles two lawsuits dealing with allegations of antisemitism

Harvard University – which has seen itself become embroiled in numerous antisemitic controversies – has settled two lawsuits alleging anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli discrimination as one student vows to continue fighting until justice is done.

Harvard, which has seen its campus erupt in pro-Hamas demonstrations after the terror group launched its Oct. 7 attacks, has settled two separate lawsuits alleging antisemitic discrimination brought by The Louis Brandeis Center and the other filed by Students Against Antisemitism and Shabbos Kestenabaum.

Brandeis Center's complaint alleged that three Harvard Kennedy School students were discriminated against on the basis of their Israeli identities during a Spring 2023 course. When the students pitched a research project on Israeli Liberal Jewish Democracy, they were told by their professor that the subject was "offensive" and if they didn’t change topics they would suffer "consequences," the lawsuit alleges. 

AS A HARVARD JEWISH STUDENT, I KNOW ELISE STEFANIK IS THE RIGHT PERSON TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM AT THE UN

Cambridge, MA - May 10: Harvard University Police walk near a pro-Palestinian tent encampment on Harvard Yard.  (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Professor Ganz, who taught the course, likened a "Jewish state" to "White supremacy" and subjected the students to further discrimination by allowing pro-Palestinian students to voice vicious anti-Israel and antisemitic screeds in class while denying the Israeli students the ability to respond, the lawsuit claims. The classroom discrimination culminated with the professor, his teaching fellows and the entire class donning keffiyahs for a group picture. The Israeli students, feeling targeted, declined to participate. 

The Brandeis Center commissioned an outside investigation into the incident, and the report concluded that the students faced a "hostile learning environment," and that Harvard Kennedy School failed to shield them from a "a learning environment free from bias." Harvard agreed with the report’s findings, but the lawsuit alleges they failed to take the appropriate action in response.

In another troubling allegation from the Brandeis Center, an Israeli Jewish student at Harvard Business School was assaulted by a violent mob of campus pro-Hamas radicals. The student, who was wearing a blue bracelet to signal his support for the Jewish State, attempted to film an anti-Israel protest on his campus when he was swarmed by "safety marshals" who pushed and shoved him. 

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Former Harvard President Claudine Gay declined to say that calls for genocide against Jewish people were against the school's rules against bullying.  (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The lawsuit alleges that Harvard has failed to properly discipline the violent students, and is attempting to "sweep the incident under the rug."

In the Students Against Antisemitism and Kestenbaum lawsuit, Harvard is accused of having become a "bastion of rampant Jew hatred."

Among other incidents outlined in the case, the lawsuit refers to former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s disastrous Dec. 2023 testimony before the House Education Committee in which she refused to say whether calls to commit genocide against Jewish people were against the school’s rules against bullying and harassment, instead claiming it "depends on the context." Kestenbaum alleges that a Harvard staff member repeatedly harassed him online, and the university failed to take appropriate action to protect him.

"@ShabbosK, watch your back . . . I’m coming for much more than blood—I’m coming for Zionism, and I have a posse[.] . . . We are burying you." Harvard Financial and Systems Coordinator Gustavo Espada posted on X. 

While the Brandeis Center and SAS have agreed to the settlements, Kestenbaum is continuing to purse his case against the Ivy League school separately. 

"I am happy that many of our demands were met, however, the only way to ensure no student is treated the way Harvard treated me is through punishment, accountability and discipline," Kestenbaum told Fox News Digital. 

As part of the settlements, Harvard has agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as part of its Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying Policies, host an annual symposium on antisemitism and to partner with an Israeli university. 

Shabbos Kestenbaum is continuing with his lawsuit.  (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

"The recent settlement is real progress. But, there is a long way to go before Jewish, Israeli and Zionist students enjoy full equality on campus. The courts and the Trump administration need to hold Harvard’s feet to the fire," former Harvard Hillel Director Andrew Geraer said.

"This resolution aligns with Harvard’s commitment to combating antisemitism and ensuring that its Jewish and Israeli students are welcome and able to thrive on its campus and that complaints of discrimination and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students are treated in the same manner and with the same urgency as all protected groups," Harvard said in a statement.

David Spector is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..