DOJ sues Harvard for discriminating against Jewish, Israeli students

The Department of Justice sued Harvard University Friday, accusing the Ivy League school of running afoul of federal civil rights law in having “turned a blind eye to antisemitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis” on campus.

In a complaint filed in Boston federal court, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon alleged that Harvard demonstrated “deliberate indifference” to the harassment and “refused to enforce” rules to protect students, faculty and staff.

Harvard University was sued by the Department of Justice. REUTERS

“This sent the clear message to Harvard’s Jewish and Israeli community that the indifference was not an accident; they were being intentionally excluded and effectively denied equal access to educational opportunities,” the 44-page filing stated.

“The United States cannot and will not tolerate these failures and brings this action to compel Harvard to comply with Title VI, and to recover billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies awarded to a discriminatory institution.”

US Department of Health and Human Services grants to Harvard total more than $2.6 billion, the suit noted.

A student walks with an Israeli flag on Harvard’s campus o Dec. 12, 2023. Corbis via Getty Images

Reps for Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.