By Debra Rubin | Jewish Link | March 12, 2026

Columbia University has reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit brought on behalf of Jewish and Israeli students, which includes laying out what constitutes antisemitism and steps to prevent it from occurring.

The case was brought against Columbia and Barnard College two years ago by the StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice (SCLJ) on behalf of more than 45 students who experienced “egregious, pervasive and ongoing antisemitism.” The suit had been filed in the Southern District of New York by the Manhattan law firm of Kasowitz Benson Torres. It alleged that Columbia was in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The settlement, announced on Feb. 27, requires the appointment of a Title VI coordinator, additional antisemitism education and training programs, establishes the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in its anti-discrimination policies and will provide scholarships to students who have worked, lived or studied in Israel.

The suit had cited various schools within the university, including its School of General Studies and School of Social Work, alleging that students had “been physically assaulted, spit on, threatened and treated unequally,” and despite policies it had that were supposed to protect Jews and Israelis, Columbia failed to act “denying students the education and opportunities that they are entitled to obtain at Columbia without regard to their shared ancestry, national origin or religion.”

The university had been the scene of a large pro-Palestinian encampment and violence and harassment of Jewish students and staff after the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel more than two years ago and the ensuing Gaza war.

The settlement will “ensure that Jewish and Israeli students and faculty are treated as equal and valuable members of the campus community,” said SCLJ Executive Director Oleg Ivanov. He called the settlement “an important step” in ensuring Jewish and Israeli students can learn in an environment free from discrimination.

“There are a number of initiatives to create a better, less hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students,” he said in a phone interview with The Jewish Link. “One of the big victories of the settlement is that when future incidents occur Columbia will be using the IHRA definition to show the connection between using Israel to mean Jews collectivity as a form of antisemitism.”

After Columbia announced in July it would be implementing the IHRA as a determination of antisemitism it posted an extensive explanation on its website of what it was, how it would be used and why it would not infringe on free speech or academic freedom.

“The university encourages the free exchange of ideas, beliefs and opinions, including on issues relating to armed conflict, human and civil rights, competing moral, historical and political claims and controversies such as the Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts,” it reads in part. “However, academic freedom is not a license to discriminate based on someone’s membership in a protected class,” it stated. “If harassing speech or conduct that otherwise appears to be based on views about a country’s policies or practices is infused with discriminatory comments about persons from, or associated with, that country or another country, then it may constitute discriminatory harassment. In addition, a hostile environment also can be created when students are not free to express their views about issues that are closely connected to their identity as members of a protected class.”

Ivanov also praised the university’s strong response to Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of more than 80 student groups, which implied it had an official connection to the university itself.

In a March 1 statement, Columbia said it had “serious concerns raised about an unaffiliated group using violent and unacceptable language and attempting to assert a connection to Columbia University.”

It reaffirmed its statement from July that it had “zero tolerance” for the group’s actions and noted it had taken legal action against its illegal use of the university’s name and trademarks.

“Columbia has not, and will not, recognize or meet with the group that calls itself ‘Columbia University Apartheid Divest’ (CUAD), its representatives or any of its affiliated organizations,” read its latest statement.

In a prepared statement about the settlement Columbia University’s Acting President Claire Shipman said, “Antisemitism is antithetical to Columbia’s values. I believe that this settlement is an important step — one of many needed — to promote healing within our community. I am grateful to the members of our community who have provided and will continue to provide constructive ideas as we chart our path forward.”

Marc Kasowitz, who handled the case for his firm, praised “Columbia’s commitment and approach to implementing effective long-term changes and meaningful actions to combat antisemitism demonstrate its strong commitment to protecting the rights of Jewish and Israeli students on its campus” and urged other educational institutions to follow Columbia’s lead.