Haverford College Settles With Group That Accused School of Fostering Antisemitism

“The plaintiffs in the case had accused Haverford of violating civil rights law and breaching its contract with students.”

Posted by Mike LaChance Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 12:00pm 0 Comments

There’s a lot of this going around in higher education right now.

Higher Ed Dive reports:

Haverford settles with group accusing college of fostering antisemitism

Haverford College leaders have agreed to a settlement with a group of Jewish students and faculty members who alleged that the private Pennsylvania institution hadn’t done enough to protect them against antisemitic harassment and discrimination, per a court filing last week.

Under the settlement, the college’s leaders agreed that Haverford’s policy would bar discrimination specifically against students and employees with Zionist views, as well as those who are Jewish or Israeli, according to The Deborah Project, a law firm that represented the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs in the case had accused Haverford of violating civil rights law and breaching its contract with students. However, a federal judge dismissed their civil rights claim in 2025, ruling that many of the incidents they alleged created a hostile environment were protected by the First Amendment.

The Deborah Project said Haverford officials accepted several wide-ranging terms. Among them, the college agreed that it would bar discrimination against people with Zionist views, mandate annual antisemitism awareness training for all students and employees, and establish an antisemitism committee to advise the college’s president.

Campus officials will also require anyone wearing a mask or face covering on campus to provide their identification to them if requested. If a student or employee refuses, they will face disciplinary action.

“Harassing, excluding, or seeking to silence Jewish community members on the basis of their beliefs, their commitment to Jewish observance, or any other element of their Jewish identity, including Zionism, is anathema to the College’s core principles of trust, concern, and respect,” Haverford President Wendy Raymond said Friday when announcing the settlement to the campus community.

Raymond said that while members of the campus community may “vehemently disagree with one another about the policies and actions of governments,” they must ensure those disagreements don’t “descend into the realm of discrimination, harassment, or bias.”