Jewish advocacy group files complaint against Haverford College
The Deborah Project filed a complaint on Sept. 9 against Haverford, accusing the school of 'doubling down on every policy at issue' in a lawsuit filed back in May.
The complaint lists nearly two dozen instances of alleged anti-Semitism at the college, including an activist-led demonstration at Haverford’s 2024 graduation ceremony.
The Deborah Project filed a complaint on Sept. 9 against Haverford College, accusing the Pennsylvania school of “doubling down on every policy at issue” in a lawsuit filed back in May that alleges that the school has exercised ongoing neglect in relation to campus anti-Semitism.
Deborah Project legal director Lori Lowenthal Marcus told the Jewish News Syndicate that Haverford’s handling of anti-Semitism is more troubling than other schools, voicing concerns that the college favors rule-breakers over rule-followers.
“What’s different at Haverford—there’s more of an informed support for allowing what we’re complaining about at the school. It’s very much about free speech, except at the same time, microaggressions are policed carefully. It’s really truly a double standard,” Marcus said.
In an email to Campus Reform, Marcus said that this double standard puts Jews at a disadvantage, stating that Jews “don’t scream and yell and break things—and it’s true that if we did, our complaints might be given more attention” and that “Jews don’t feel comfortable complaining when they’ve been wronged.”
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The complaint lists nearly two dozen instances of alleged anti-Semitism at Haverford. One such case includes a description of Haverford’s 2024 graduation ceremony, which the complaint alleges demonstrates Haverford’s unfair treatment of pro-Israel students compared to pro-Palestine students.
“A significant number of the graduating class rose to the podium to accept their degree carrying Palestine flags and banners denouncing Israel and calling for its destruction,” the complaint reads. “President Raymond and the other College administrators conducting the graduation ceremony politely paused the ceremony for each such student, granting the student time to unfurl and display his or banner, before continuing to call the next student to receive his or he degree.”
The complaint also states that, “If a student had ascended the podium with a Confederate flag, or with the symbol of any political movement with which she disagreed, Raymond would not have cheerfully and politely accepted it.”
According to the Deborah Project’s website, the organization’s goal is “to use legal skills and tools to uncover, publicize and dismantle antisemitic abuses in educational systems, with the aim of bringing wrongdoers to justice and deterring future abuses.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Haverford College and the Deborah Project for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.