Haverford Settles Antisemitism Lawsuit

Haverford College has settled with a Jewish group that filed a lawsuit in 2024 over the college’s handling of antisemitism allegations, according to a statement from President Wendy Raymond.

The details of the settlement were not made public in court documents. But in her statement, Raymond acknowledged the hurt felt by members of the campus Jewish community and vowed to do better in the future.

“All students including those who identify as Jewish, and/or Israeli, and those who support Zionism: that is, the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and statehood in the land of Israel, are welcome and enjoy equal access to the College and all of its educational programs and activities,” she wrote. “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.”

The group Jews at Haverford filed the complaint in May 2024, in the midst of nationwide campus demonstrations and encampments protesting Israel’s war on Gaza, launched in retaliation for Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. During that time, Haverford was overtaken by “a fervently antisemitic anti-Israel faction,” the lawsuit alleged; as a result, students and faculty who publicly supported Israel were “penalized through formal investigations and other disciplinary measures, as well as through informal but pervasive stigmatization, harassment, and bullying campaigns.” 

By engaging in “discrimination against, and condon[ing] pervasive hostility towards, pro-Israel Jewish students,” the complaint said, the college violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin.

The college did not comment on the lawsuit at the time. But Raymond was among the college presidents called to testify before Congress in May 2025 about their efforts to combat antisemitism on campus.

She released a statement then that said in part, “Let me be clear: every member of the Haverford community deserves to feel safe, welcomed, supported, and inspired to pursue their academic and professional goals. Since Hamas’s terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, our nation has seen a troubling rise in antisemitism. We have also witnessed an increase in anti-Muslim hate and other forms of bias. Haverford has not been immune to these challenges, and I want to affirm our commitment to confronting hate and discrimination in all its forms.”

In last week’s statement about the settlement, she vowed to hold students and employees accountable for upholding those campus values.

“In a community of learning, we may vehemently disagree with one another about the policies and actions of governments, but it is never acceptable to let those disagreements descend into the realm of discrimination, harassment, or bias. All members of the Haverford community who wish to express their considered perspectives must do so respectfully while allowing others to do the same,” she wrote. “When the acts or statements of any member of the Haverford Community reaches the level of discrimination, harassment or bias, they will be subject to disciplinary action consistent with the College’s policies.”