The U.S. Education Department announced another 11th hour resolution of a complaint alleging Jew-hatred under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act at Lehigh University, private school in Bethlehem, Pa.
The federal probe found a lack of evidence that Lehigh “evaluated whether individual incidents of alleged harassment that occurred during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years themselves or in the aggregate contributed to a hostile environment for students on campus based on shared ancestry,” according to the department.
One example that the department cited involved “multiple” reports of mezuzahs being stolen from dorm rooms.
“The documentation suggests that the university responded to each incident individually without assessing whether the thefts in the aggregate created or contributed to a hostile environment for Jewish students,” the department stated.
“Similarly, in another incident involving an individual posting a swastika symbol to social media in which Jewish students were tagged, there is no evidence that outreach was conducted for all students who were tagged in the post.”
The seven-page agreement states, however, that it “does not constitute an admission of liability, non-compliance or wrongdoing by the university.”
The Education Department stated that the school has taken steps to comply with the 1964 law, including holding “multiple events and programs in response to the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023,” and that the school president “issued multiple statements opposing conduct that occurred on campus” and hosting “dinners at his home for Jewish and Muslim student leaders.”
The school agreed to conduct training, to make clear statements about student safety and to conduct a “climate assessment,” among other actions.
“Lehigh University has committed to taking important additional steps to respond to harassment based on shared ancestry which will help ensure that all students can learn in an environment free from discrimination,” stated Catherine Lhamon, the department’s assistant secretary for civil rights.
