A group of 10 Harvard University alumni from across the United States filed a lawsuit against the prestigious institute of higher learning on Wednesday, accusing the school of "devaluing" their diplomas due to the antisemitism, support for Hamas terrorism and Israel bashing that is present on campus.
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The civil lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts federal court. It contends that the Harvard administration has repeatedly ignored attacks on Jewish students and calls by students and faculty for genocide against Israel despite numerous complaints.
The 10 plaintiffs accuse Harvard of allowing a "toxic and hateful "atmosphere on the campus to proliferate and charge that it has badly damaged their alma mater’s reputation and prestige, which has led to a decrease in the value of their diplomas in the eyes of potential employers and companies.
The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction against Harvard to act to punish students and faculty for their antisemitism on campus, as well as financial compensation. They are represented by attorneys Robert J. Tolchin of New York and Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Tel-Aviv.
Harvard tuition was $57,261 a year in 2022-23.
Students at Harvard and other universities across the United States have reported feeling unsafe and under threat, especially since the October 7 massacre in Israel. They charge that the universities have permitted unrestrained hate speech and demonstrations that violate the school’s codes of conduct on campus, and that such activity has created an atmosphere that has interfered with their ability to learn.
In their complaint the plaintiffs contend that: “The College impliedly committed and agreed to uphold a certain standard of higher education and reputability such that Plaintiffs would enjoy the life-long prestige of having graduated from Harvard . . . (The Defendant) breached and continues to breach its contractual obligation to Plaintiffs by failing to adequately address antisemitism on its campus. Harvard has directly caused the value and prestige of Plaintiffs’ Harvard degrees to be diminished and made a mockery out of Harvard graduates in the employment world and beyond.”
Harvard has been working to navigate the campus response to the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and comes after the resignation in January of its president Claudine Gay, who faced a backlash over her congressional testimony on antisemitism as well as plagiarism accusations.
Darshan-Leitner, president of the Shurat HaDin civil rights center, says she believes alumni of other colleges and universities will be filing similar lawsuits, as antisemitism rises and Jewish students feel less and less secure on campuses across the United States.
"The lawsuit by these Harvard alumni reveals the growing outrage and contempt that graduates all across the US are feeling over the wild antisemitism and hate speech being encouraged and explained away on the American campuses. This dangerous weaponization of higher education by radical faculty and students as well as the impotent administration response, all justified under the guise of academic freedom, has turned the colleges into hate centers which has greatly devalued their reputation and diplomas. We believe other graduates from other schools will soon be filing their own lawsuits," she said.
“Gone are the days of honest discourse at Harvard. The school has sadly been given over to the flavor of the month, the lowest level of discourse. Harvard's seal proclaims "Light and Truth" in Latin and Hebrew--yes, Hebrew, the language spoken by the indigenous Israelites. Yet light and truth have been hard to find at Harvard. The darkness of antisemitism and the dishonesty, hate, and discrimination have cast a pall over Harvard so embarrassing that people do not wish to be associated with Harvard,” according to Tolchin.
Dr. Alan Bauer, a Harvard trained biologist who has joined the lawsuit, says he is suing Harvard because the university "has failed to live up to its own standard of excellence."
"Students and faculty demanding the destruction of Israel and the death of Jews are allowed to march on campus, threaten students, and disrupt classes on the pretense of freedom of speech. Yet, the university disinvited a distinguished speaker because of her views on trans people, cancelled the men soccer team's season due to 'vulgar' comments on women players, and rescinded the admission of 10 students due to online activity that the university found offensive. Freedom of speech is only applied when Jews are being attacked," Bauer asserted.
"Harvard's leadership has failed to adequately address the spasm of Jew-hatred on campus, and we, all Harvard alumni, are suing in order to get the university pointed back in the direction of being the leader in education and not the national disgrace it is today,” he also said.