Harvard Adopts a Strict Definition of Antisemitism for Discipline Cases
New York TimesJan 22
Harvard to Adopt IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
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Above: The school motto "Veritas" is inscribed over a gate at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, June 30, 2015. Image copyright: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg/Contributor via Getty Images
The Facts
Harvard University on Tuesday pledged to provide additional protections to Jewish and Israeli students in settling two lawsuits that accused the Ivy League school of tolerating antisemitism on campus, thus violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The cases were brought by the Louis D Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, and by Students Against Antisemitism (SAA) in the wake of pro-Palestine protests that gripped a number of university campuses last year.
As part of the settlement, which includes an undisclosed monetary payout but no admission of guilt, the university said it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
The Spin
Pro-Israel narrative
It's regrettable that legal action had to be taken for Harvard University to comply with its obligations to protect Jews on campus. Nonetheless, the terms of the settlement are a step in the right direction.
Pro-Palestine narrative
While the IRHA definition is widely used, it is overly broad in that it punishes protected political speech and conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Making Zionism a protected category is also a troubling development that will obstruct free speech on campus.
