Harvard settles anti-Semitism lawsuit

Activist Alexander Kestenbaum reached a settlement with the Ivy League on Thursday, ending a 16-month legal battle. Kestenbaum’s case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the charges could not be reopened, and the settlement terms remained confidential, according to The Harvard Crimson, the school’s student newspaper.

Why did Kestenbaum sue in the first place? Kestenbaum filed the lawsuit in January 2024, along with the campus group Students Against Antisemitism. Students accused the school of showing indifference to the safety of Israeli and Jewish students during violent anti-Israeli protests after the terror group Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The complaint accused administrators of selectively enforcing the university’s anti-discrimination policies and ignoring petitions from Jewish students for protection. The complaint made civil rights claims and sought money for damages and relief by court injunctions, including disciplinary measures for some college staff, according to the students’ legal team.

U.S. Judge Richard Stearns ruled last August that Harvard University must face civil allegations from Jewish students who accused the school of fostering anti-Semitism. The facts presented show that Harvard failed its Jewish students, Stearns penned. The ruling backed the standing of the student lawsuit and cleared the way for the case to go to trial. Jewish groups also sued the University of California, Berkeley, and New York University in November 2023 for allegedly allowing rampant anti-Semitism on campus.

Dig deeper: Read my report on a judge dismissing an anti-Semitism lawsuit brought by students.