Jews at Haverford v. Corp. of Haverford College

Philadelphia Federal Court

date case opened

13 May 2024

up and coming deadlines

about case

This case, filed in federal district court in Philadelphia, challenges the decision by the leadership of Haverford College to nurture a virulently anti-Israel environment on campus, where the Jewish commitment to Israel and anyone who speaks in support of that commitment, are shunned, denounced and boycotted by student government, student organizations, and faculty.

Jews of Haverford filed its Complaint on 13 May, 2024. The Court granted Plaintiff's Motion for Pseudonymity. Motion to Dismiss and its Opposition are fully briefed and judge's decision pending.

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FAQs

We’re here to help. Check out some of our most frequently asked questions. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, be sure to contact someone from our team.

Is antisemitism in school settings illegal?

Acts of Antisemitism can be the basis of a legal violation, so long as those acts create an interference with the ability to do one's job or to participate in one's educational experience.

Don't teachers have free speech rights, so they can't be punished for saying antisemitic things?

K-12 public school teachers do NOT have free speech rights in the classroom or whenever they are performing their official duties. Private school teachers have greater leeway, as do college professors.

Do anti-Zionist/anti-Israel assertions constitute a violation of anti-discrimination laws?

It depends. The U.S. government has slowly begun to recognize that anti-Zionism can constitute antisemitism, and so is subject to anti-discrimination laws, when such hostility goes beyond merely criticizing the Israeli government for various policies but instead attacks Zionists or Israelis for things the speaker doesn't criticize other countries for doing. This is why it is so important for institutions and governments to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and its examples.

Discrimination in education is governed by Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But Title VI doesn't include religion as a protected category. So is antisemitism not considered discriminatory under Title VI?

Someone who is Jewish and believes that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state may have a claim under Title VI under the protected categories of Shared Ancestry and Ethnicity.

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