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

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.

Critics say the definition Harvard adopted conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism and could chill pro-Palestinian speech.

The litigation piece of the effort to hold Harvard accountable is, fortunately, not yet over. The only non-anonymous plaintiff in the case, Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum, who spoke at the Republican National Convention and has repeatedly testified before Congress on the topic, is moving ahead with discovery in the case.

The Massachusetts university agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to the plaintiffs, but it did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability.

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.

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

( MENAFN - The Conversation) As part of Harvard University's agreement in response to two federal lawsuits filed by Jewish students alleging antisemitic discrimination, it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA ,“working definition” of antisemitism.