Haverford Admits Its Antisemitism Problem
Take Haverford, which on Friday announced a settlement to a lawsuit by Jewish students. The Philadelphia-area college said for the first time that discrimination against “Zionists,” or against Jews on the basis of their commitment to Israel’s existence, is a civil-rights violation that will incur discipline if proved.
After fighting the Jewish students for more than two years, Haverford now corrects its appalling honor code and sets out new policies for disruptive and masked protesters. The college also admits a “failure on our part” since Oct. 7 and commits to “doing better.”
For several years Haverford told Jewish students to take their problems to the anti-Israel student activists staffing the Honor Council. The council administered an honor code that subordinated the speech rights of what it called the “privileged” to the sentiments of the “marginalized.” If in conflict, it said, the privileged can’t expect to be treated with “respect.” Guess where the activists placed Jews in this schema?
In the days after the Oct. 7 massacre, Haverford activists shared graphics of Hamas paragliders with the text: “Stand with Palestinian resistance.” Prof. Tarik Aougab called for “unequivocal and firm support for the Palestinian resistance” and reposted a social-media message celebrating the attack. Haverford gave him an award for embodying the college’s values.
