Harvard University Sued By Jewish Students Over "Deep-Seated" Antisemitism

Harvard University is at the center of broader national debates over academic freedom, free speech, diversity and governance, issues that have divided the campus for years.

Harvard University was sued by Jewish students who claim the school has failed to punish campus antisemitism that soared after the Hamas attack on Israel and helped lead to the ouster of President Claudine Gay.

Harvard administrators failed to enforce policies that should protect Jewish students from antisemitic speech and conduct, according to the lawsuit filed late Wednesday in Boston federal court. Students cited a US civil rights law that's been used to sue New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Berkeley.

The lawsuit comes amid turmoil at Harvard, America's oldest and richest university, where Gay resigned last week after she initially failed to condemn the Hamas attack, mishandled her December 5 testimony in Congress about antisemitism and faced allegations of plagiarism. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.