Harvard’s antisemitism settlement is a bad joke

People everywhere are celebrating Harvard University’s settlement regarding the anti-Semitism that has been witnessed on its campus. In addition to adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, they agreed to the following terms:

Additionally, the school agreed to draft an annual report for the next five years that details its response to discrimination and harassment; hire a point person to consult with on all complaints of antisemitism, and provide training on combating antisemitism for staff who review the complaints.

‘Today’s settlement reflects Harvard’s enduring commitment to ensuring our Jewish students, faculty, and staff are embraced, respected, and supported,’ a Harvard University spokesperson said in a statement. ‘We will continue to strengthen our policies, systems, and operations to combat anti-Semitism 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.’

The settlement was made with the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, and Students Against Antisemitism.

The settlement included other criteria:

As part of the settlements, Harvard says it has agreed to an unspecified monetary payout; to change its policies around anti-Zionist speech and devote more resources to study antisemitism; and to pursue a new partnership with an Israeli university.

It will also partner with the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, one of the groups that had sued the school, ‘to host a variety of events on campus.’

The Students Against Antisemitism’s statement echoed several other statements that were made by others following the settlement:

A spokesperson for Students Against Antisemitism said the settlement shows Harvard is ‘demonstrating leadership in the fight against antisemitism and in upholding the rights of Jewish students.’

‘We appreciate Harvard’s proactive approach to implementing effective long-term changes and its strong commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for every student who pursues their education on Harvard’s campus,’ the spokesperson said in a statement.

In spite of all their efforts to atone for their errors, this settlement is meaningless, absurd and will not achieve the results that all parties are looking for.

Just what does Harvard want to achieve? These are their words:

‘We are resolute in our efforts to confront antisemitism and will continue to implement robust steps to maintain a welcoming, open, and safe campus environment where every student feels a sense of belonging,’ the spokesperson added.

Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

The problem is that the statement may reflect the beliefs of some people at Harvard, but based on their historic lack of response to the problem of antisemitism, which didn’t just appear on Oct. 7, they are actually signaling something quite different: What can we do to make this “problem” go away? And they don’t mean the problem of antisemitism; they are referring to the controversy, disruption and bad press they have received.

The resulting drop in donations was especially notable:

Harvard’s fundraising crisis now has a price tag: $151 million.

Total philanthropic contributions fell by 14 percent in fiscal year 2024 as several billionaire donors publicly severed ties with Harvard over its response to campus antisemitism.

The $151 million decline marks one of the most significant year-over-year drops in donations in the past decade.

So Harvard’s response, even though they still have millions in donations in their coffers, was made for fiscal, practical reasons. Not out of the goodness of their hearts.

You may say, so what? As long as they are making changes, isn’t that the most important outcome?

Missing from the settlement are specific responses, known as holding people accountable when these horrible actions take place. In case you’ve forgotten what took place on campus following Oct. 7, here’s the description from Alexander Kestenbaum, who originally sued the university with the Students Against Antisemitism:

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. 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 and harassing and assaulting them on campus. Jewish students have been attacked on social media, and Harvard faculty members have promulgated antisemitism in their courses and dismissed and intimidated students who object. What is most striking about all of this is Harvard’s abject failure and refusal to lift a finger to stop and deter this outrageous antisemitic conduct and penalize the students and faculty who perpetrate it.
 

Alexander Kestenbaum withdrew from the lawsuit to pursue his own suit.

Now you may be tempted to say that Harvard is mending its ways; that they know how egregious their lack of response was, and that they are prepared to change. They’ve noted that they need to change policies, but didn’t indicate which ones.
I see no evidence of a specific, significant commitment.

First, all the actions they promise to take sound good on paper, but they are unlikely to change the minds of people who hate Israel and the Jews. Those people will likely interpret the settlement as just more anti-Palestinian propaganda, and may even take it as license to go further in their hateful actions. People can change their minds and change their behavior, but they have to be open to at least considering those changes. Some of the changes that Harvard is making may reach those people, but they are unlikely to reach the most hateful and violent people. There is always the possibility that people will modify their behavior towards Jews, at least temporarily, but they are unlikely to change their minds from beliefs they’ve probably held for a lifetime.

So, if there’s no assurance that the minds of antisemites at Harvard (and any other groups that may show up) will be changed, what can be done?

The emphasis by Harvard should have been on accountability. And the accountability should apply to outsiders on campus, students, administration and professors.

Everyone who displays antisemitic behavior should be punished, no exceptions. And the punishment should be listed separately from any other kinds of harmful behavior that a person may demonstrate, and should be painful, once these actions take place. Here are a couple of examples:

First violation: suspension for six months
Second violation: expulsion.

Harvard has to be serious about their actions against anti-Semitism. They can no longer equivocate or hesitate. They can certainly continue with all their plans to change minds and hearts. But they have to be realistic and demand accountability.

Otherwise, their settlement is a bad joke.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License

 

 

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