Harvard University has settled two lawsuits accusing the Ivy League school of failing to protect Jewish students from antisemitic bullying and harassment on campus.

Harvard University will provide additional protections for Jewish students under a settlement announced on Tuesday that resolves two lawsuits accusing the Ivy League school of becoming a hotbed of rampant antisemitism.

Many universities have been reluctant to embrace a definition that, among other things, considers some criticisms of Israel as antisemitic. The university’s decision was part of a lawsuit settlement.

The definition, adopted by the the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance as well as more than 40 nations, says that certain kinds of criticism of Israel and Zionism can be antisemitic.

The nation’s richest Ivy League university lost millions in fundraising dollars after drawing donor ire over antisemitism on campus. These settlements could be the first step to assuaging those concerns.

Harvard University agreed to settle a major antisemitism lawsuit just one day after President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to remove funding and accreditation for schools fostering anti-Jewish discrimination.

The Ivy League school agreed to boost protections for Jewish students.

We now have a Harvard standard that other colleges will strive to meet,’ a leading authority on antisemitism and civil rights in higher education

Harvard University has settled two lawsuits with Jewish groups accusing the school of fostering an antisemitic environment in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, as President Donald Trump retakes office with a promise to more heavily police universities for such cases.