What this page documents
Since the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, Haverford College has been the subject of a federal lawsuit, a U.S. Department of Education Title VI investigation, a contentious Congressional hearing, and a failing grade from the Anti-Defamation League. Jewish students, faculty, and alumni have described a campus where, as one tenured professor put it, “the place I love has betrayed me.”
What Jewish students have alleged
According to sworn allegations in the federal complaint, Jewish students at Haverford said they could not speak Hebrew in public, could not wear items identifying them as Jewish, and were told by senior leadership they should be “brave” in the face of antisemitic harassment and not expect to be “safe” — while administrators reportedly blamed “the wind” for the repeated removal of hostage posters and Jewish-life event flyers.[WT]
This page aggregates the public record. Every incident below is sourced to mainstream news reporting, court filings, or the College’s own public statements. Links to the primary documents — including the federal complaint and the Judge’s dismissal memorandum — appear in the lawsuit section and under each entry.
Timeline of incidents and institutional failures
A selected, sourced chronology. This is not exhaustive — the federal complaint in Jews at Haverford v. The Corporation of Haverford College runs 278 pages in its amended form.
A campus climate turns hostile
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, Jewish students at Haverford begin reporting harassment, exclusion, and what they describe as “loyalty tests” — public demands to denounce Israel as a condition of social belonging. Tenured Political Science professor Barak Mendelsohn, an Israeli, later says the College treated him “not as a resource, but just as the Jew from Israel.”
Jewish Israeli professor is investigated for his own social media posts
Prof. Barak Mendelsohn, who describes himself as “as far left as you can be in Israel without being anti-Zionist,” is summoned to discuss “bias reports” over his public statements about the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism — even as colleagues who posted “F**k Israel” and “F**k Zionism” are alleged to face no similar scrutiny.
Anti-Israel rally features terror-group imagery
At an on-campus rally organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters display signs reading “Decolonization is not a metaphor” — a slogan used to celebrate the October 7 attacks — and a protester wears a shirt featuring Leila Khaled, a leader of the U.S.-designated terrorist group PFLP, with the slogan “Resistance is not terrorism.”
“Israel Apartheid Month” teach-in invokes blood-libel themes
Haverford Students for Peace and SJP host a teach-in during “Israel Apartheid Month” alleging “Israel’s weaponization of COVID against Palestinians” — language critics identified as a modern blood libel. The College allows the event to proceed without public objection.
Anti-Israel encampment on Founder’s Green
On April 25, 2024, student activists set up a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on Founder’s Green with banners reading “LIBERATED ZONE.” The College’s decision not to remove the encampment is later cited by Jewish students as emblematic of an uneven policy: free expression indulged in one direction, policed in another.
Federal Title VI lawsuit filed
An unincorporated association — “Jews at Haverford” — along with named plaintiff Ally Landau ’24 and other students, files a 90-page federal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, represented by the Deborah Project. The suit alleges deliberate indifference to antisemitism in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and breach of contract.
Incoming Jewish student ridiculed at orientation
According to incidents later compiled by the ADL, an incoming first-year student is allegedly ridiculed by classmates and asked whether they are “a Zionist” after the group learns the student is Jewish.
Amended complaint: Haverford “doubled down”
The Deborah Project files a 278-page amended complaint, arguing that rather than correct course after the May filing, Haverford had “doubled down on every policy at issue in this case.”
Anti-Zionist activists disrupt an ADL “Antisemitism 101” workshop on campus
The ADL’s Philadelphia Regional Director Andrew Goretsky and Senior Associate Regional Director Randi Boyette are brought in for an “Antisemitism 101” workshop. Anti-Zionist protesters — including participants from Bi-Co Jewish Voice for Peace — shout through the session, bang on the windows, and prevent attendees from engaging. The College does not condemn the disruption.
Haverford receives an F on the ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card
The ADL’s report card gives Haverford an F — a grade awarded to fewer than 10% of schools assessed — citing, among other things, the disparity between institutional treatment of Jewish and anti-Israel programming and the severity of rhetoric at on-campus rallies.
Initial dismissal (without prejudice) — plaintiffs re-plead
Judge Gerald Austin McHugh of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania grants the College’s motion to dismiss, without prejudice. The plaintiffs announce they will amend again. On January 27, 2025 they file a second amended complaint.
House Committee on Education and the Workforce demands documents
Chairman Tim Walberg and colleagues send a formal letter to the Haverford Board of Managers demanding extensive records about the College’s response to antisemitism. The letter cites specific incidents: torn-down Jewish religious posters, the blood-libel-themed event, and the “silence while Haverford professors post threatening and deeply antisemitic messages online” — while Prof. Mendelsohn, a Jewish Israeli, was investigated for his pro-Israel posts.
Haverford’s president apologizes — five days before she testifies
President Wendy Raymond sends a message to the campus community: “I am sorry that my actions and my leadership let you down.” The apology lands on a Friday, two business days before her Wednesday testimony before Congress.
Congressional hearing: president repeatedly declines to answer
At the House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses,” President Raymond is, alone among the three testifying presidents, unwilling to describe disciplinary outcomes. Asked how many students or faculty had been disciplined for antisemitic conduct, she replies, “We do not talk about those numbers publicly.”
Title VI claim dismissed with prejudice; contract claim survives
The court dismisses the Title VI claim with prejudice, ruling that much of the conduct at issue was protected by the First Amendment and that the officials’ responses did not meet the deliberate-indifference standard. The breach-of-contract claim survives — at least for nominal damages — on the theory that Haverford did not enforce its own stated policies evenly.
Federal government opens a Title VI investigation
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opens a directed investigation into Haverford, citing “credible reports that Haverford has failed to respond as required by law to multiple incidents of discrimination and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students on its campus.”
Remaining claim stayed pending mediation
After the Title VI count was dismissed with prejudice, the court stays deadlines on the surviving breach-of-contract claim (August 15, 2025) and later extends the stay (October 16, 2025) while the parties attempt to resolve remaining issues through mediation.
Masked protester shouts “You will all burn!” at Israeli journalist’s talk
At a Stokes Auditorium lecture by Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur titled “Roots, Return & Reality: Jews, Israel and the Myth of Settler Colonialism,” a group of about a dozen masked people disrupt the event. One shouts through a bullhorn: “Death to IOF” (Israel Occupying Forces) and “When Gaza has burned, you will all burn, too,” at an audience of roughly 180. The College later bans at least two non-student disruptors from campus and acknowledges that its event policies need to be upgraded.
Jews at Haverford v. The Corporation of Haverford College
The central legal record of this controversy. The case was filed under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and state contract law; the Title VI count was ultimately dismissed on First Amendment and deliberate-indifference grounds, but the contract claim survived long enough for the parties to enter mediation.
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Case number
- 2:24-cv-02044
- Judge
- Gerald Austin McHugh
- Plaintiffs
- “Jews at Haverford” — an unincorporated association — and named student plaintiffs including Ally Landau ’24
- Plaintiffs’ counsel
- The Deborah Project (Jewish civil-rights public-interest law firm)
- Claims
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (deliberate indifference to a hostile environment based on shared Jewish ancestry) and breach of contract
- Status
- Title VI claim dismissed with prejudice (June 30, 2025). Breach-of-contract claim survived; court subsequently stayed deadlines pending mediation (August and October 2025).
What the court actually said
The court dismissed the Title VI claim “largely on First Amendment grounds” — finding that many of the specific statements and actions described in the complaint were speech protected by the First Amendment, and that individual administrators’ responses did not meet the exacting “deliberate indifference” standard the statute requires. The ruling is not a finding that nothing happened. It is a finding that what happened did not rise to the legal threshold for a Title VI damages claim under current precedent.
What Haverford’s leadership did — and when
A chronology of the College’s own public statements and actions. Readers can judge for themselves which steps were proactive, which were reactive, and which came only under external pressure.
A notable pattern: most corrective action — the apology, the policy revisions, the bans — arrives in the week before or the day after an external event (Congressional testimony, a viral video). Very little arrives on its own.
In their own words
All quotations below come from public statements: on-the-record interviews, sworn filings, or Haverford’s own community communications.
Organizations documenting, litigating, and pushing back
National Jewish and pro-Israel organizations have made Haverford a named case study in campus antisemitism. Below: who has weighed in, and where to get help if you or someone you know is facing a similar situation on another campus.
Organizations that have specifically named Haverford
The Deborah Project
The Jewish civil-rights public-interest firm that drafted and litigated the Jews at Haverford complaint, including its 278-page amended version.
deborahproject.orgCase announcement
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Gave Haverford an F on its Campus Antisemitism Report Card. The ADL’s own “Antisemitism 101” workshop on campus was the one that was disrupted.
Haverford profileADL: Antisemitism on Campus
Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law
Runs the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) — a hotline that connects students and families facing campus antisemitism with lawyers for a free review.
Brandeis Center · CALLStandWithUs
Has partnered with ADL and Brandeis Center on federal civil-rights cases on antisemitism, including amicus work in similar Title VI matters.
standwithus.comJewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Named by President Raymond as a dialogue partner; quoted throughout local coverage of the Haverford situation.
jewishphilly.orgAlums for Campus Fairness (ACF)
Commended Haverford for banning the February 2026 event disrupters while continuing to press for structural change. An alumni-led pressure vehicle at many campuses.
Statement on HaverfordJewish Insider / Jewish Exponent / Algemeiner / JNS
National Jewish press outlets that have covered the Haverford story closely, with document-based reporting.
Jewish InsiderHouse Committee on Education & the Workforce
Held the May 7, 2025 hearing featuring Haverford. Committee Chair Tim Walberg authored an op-ed explaining why Haverford was selected. Rep. Elise Stefanik pressed specific incidents.
Why Haverford was selectedStefanik on the record
If you or someone you know is facing campus antisemitism
ReportCampusHate.org
Joint portal from ADL, Hillel International and the Secure Community Network for students to report antisemitic incidents and receive professional follow-up.
reportcampushate.orgCampus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL)
Text CALLhelp to 51555 or visit the site to have a lawyer review a campus incident of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, or vandalism.
Brandeis Center · CALLU.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights
Students and families can file complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act for national origin or shared-ancestry discrimination, including against Jewish students.
How to file an OCR complaintHillel International
Local Hillel professionals help Jewish students navigate campus climate issues and connect with administrators, law enforcement, and national partners.
hillel.orgADL: Antisemitism on Campus
Resources, incident reporting, and the annual Campus Antisemitism Report Card.
adl.org/antisemitism-campusNot On My Campus
Coalition campaign providing action toolkits for parents, alumni, and students pressing universities to enforce a no-tolerance standard on antisemitism.
Campaign resourcesSources
Every factual claim on this page links directly to its source at the point it is made. The consolidated list below is for readers who want the full reading list.
Court documents and the federal case
- Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse — Jews at Haverford v. The Corporation of Haverford College, 2:24-cv-02044 (E.D. Pa.)
- CourtListener docket
- PacerMonitor — full filing list
- Memorandum Opinion on the motion to dismiss (Clearinghouse)
- Memorandum Opinion — PDF
- GovInfo: E.D. Pa. case documents
- Antisemitism Litigation Tracker — case summary
Federal government and Congressional record
- U.S. Department of Education press release initiating the Title VI investigation
- House Committee on Education and the Workforce — document-request letter to Haverford (April 21, 2025, PDF)
- President Wendy Raymond — written testimony to Congress (PDF)
- House hearing supporting document (PDF)
- Committee Chair Walberg: why Haverford was selected
- Rep. Elise Stefanik press release on the Haverford hearing
News coverage
- The Washington Times — federal investigation opened
- The Philadelphia Inquirer — lawsuit filed (May 2024)
- The Philadelphia Inquirer — pre-testimony apology
- The Philadelphia Inquirer — live coverage of the hearing
- The Philadelphia Inquirer — OCR investigation
- The Philadelphia Inquirer — Rettig Gur disruption
- WHYY — Congressional hearing
- Jewish Insider — president dodges questions
- The Jerusalem Post — suit over double standards
- JNS — initial lawsuit
- JNS — amended complaint
- Philadelphia Jewish Exponent — ADL report card
- Philadelphia Jewish Exponent — 2025 report card
- Philadelphia Jewish Exponent — bans after Rettig Gur event
- The Algemeiner — ‘You will all burn’
- National Review — lawsuit summary
- Fox News — ADL F-grade colleges
- The Volokh Conspiracy / Reason — initial dismissal
- The Volokh Conspiracy / Reason — dismissal on First Amendment grounds
- Broad + Liberty — Prof. Mendelsohn interview
- Delaware Valley Journal — Mendelsohn on Haverford
- Higher Ed Dive — OCR investigation
- Washington Examiner — why Haverford was picked
- The Free Press — Haviv Rettig Gur’s own account
Campus publications
- Bi-College News — lawsuit filed
- Bi-College News — initial dismissal
- Bi-College News — final dismissal
- Bi-College News — Raymond testimony
- Bi-College News — encampment
- Bi-College News — ADL workshop disrupted
- Bi-College News — Mendelsohn controversy
- Bi-College News — Rettig Gur event
- The Clerk — Raymond testifies
- The Clerk — ADL workshop
- The Clerk — Mendelsohn reflects on Oct. 7
Haverford’s own statements
- Wendy Raymond: Pre-hearing reflections (May 2, 2025)
- “A More Inclusive Learning Community”
- Following up on Feb. 1 event disruption
Organizations
- ADL — Haverford profile on the Campus Antisemitism Report Card
- ADL — Campus Antisemitism Report Card (full)
- ADL — Antisemitism on Campus
- The Deborah Project
- Deborah Project — amended complaint announcement
- Brandeis Center — CALL
- Alums for Campus Fairness — Haverford statement
- Hillel International
- ReportCampusHate.org