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Chapman University reportedly adopts IHRA definition of Jew-hatred

A spokesman for the private school told a reporter that the school considers the “definition and accompanying illustrative examples to the extent it may be useful in a particular case.”

Chapman University
Entrance of Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Credit: Tom Arthur via Wikimedia Commons.

Chapman University, a highly-ranked private school in Southern California, included the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred in its anti-discrimination and harassment policy in September, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bob Hitchcock, director of strategic communications at the school, told the Times that “in line with long-standing guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, the university has now clarified that it considers the information set out in the IHRA definition and accompanying illustrative examples, to the extent it may be useful in a particular case.” (JNS sought comment from the university.)

In October, the National Jewish Advocacy Center sued the university, alleging Jewish students were subjected to discrimination and harassment with “direct approval” from Chapman.

The Department of Education also launched a probe of the university in 2024 over allegations that it failed to adequately protect Jews from antisemitism on campus.

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