The US government has issued a scathing rebuke of Harvard University, accusing the school of failing to address rampant anti-Semitism on campus and warning that continued violations could cost the institution all federal funding.
The notice, sent to Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber details extensive findings from the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) Title VI investigation.
Findings: “Deliberately indifferent” to anti-semitic harassment
According to the letter, Harvard was “in violent violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act at the United States Department of Health and Human Services,” which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
“The enclosed Notice of Violation details the findings of fact supporting a conclusion that Harvard has been in some cases deliberately indifferent, and in others has been a willful participant in anti-Semitic harassment,” the letter states.
Investigators cited a pervasive atmosphere of hostility, with Jewish and Israeli students reporting assaults, harassment, and fear for their physical safety.
Among the examples included:
- Jewish students concealing their religious identity and kippahs to avoid attacks.
- Circulation of images depicting a dollar sign inside a Star of David.
- Vandalism with stickers combining the Israeli flag and a swastika.
- Protests on campus calling for genocide and denying Jewish students access to facilities.
“Not fair” sisciplinary process
The government criticised Harvard’s response to disruptive and threatening protests, including a multiweek encampment in the heart of campus.
While some participants were charged, “only a fraction received some sort of discipline, and none were suspended,” according to the letter.
A member of Harvard’s own leadership called the disciplinary process “not fair” and “not right,” the notice says.
A legacy of discrimination
The government’s letter draws a direct connection between Harvard’s approach to race and its failure to protect Jewish students, referencing the Supreme Court’s decision last year in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
“Harvard holds the regrettable distinction of being among the most prominent and visible breeding ground for race discrimination,” investigators wrote. “That legacy of discrimination persists with Harvard’s continued anti-Semitism.”
Officials argued the university’s ideology of “demographic hierarchy” has fueled the crisis.
“Harvard’s commitment to racial hierarchies—where individuals are sorted and judged according to their membership in an oppressed group identity and not individual merit—has enabled anti-Semitism to fester,” the notice stated.
Historical warning: “Catastrophic effects”
In one of the most forceful sections of the letter, the government warned that ignoring anti-Semitism risks repeating history.
“As history has proven, the failure to face the reality of anti-Semitism can have catastrophic effects,” the notice reads, citing the Holocaust and describing how “[d]isbelief, incredulity, and denial… worked to the advantage of those who wanted to eradicate the Jews.”
Potential loss of all federal funding
HHS OCR emphasised that Harvard’s failure to take immediate, meaningful action would trigger severe penalties.
“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources,” the notice warned.
Officials added that Harvard could continue to operate without federal support, suggesting that losing government privileges might “spur a commitment to excellence.”
The notice concludes by informing Harvard that the enclosed documents serve as both a call to reform and a formal legal notification.
“Equal defense of the law demands that all groups, regardless of race or national origin, are protected,” the letter stated.