One day after Hillel International filed an amicus brief supporting Harvard in its court case over federal research grants, the organization withdrew the brief.
The brief, which drew a swift public backlash from some Jewish groups and advocates, praised Harvard for its efforts to combat antisemitism. It is one of eleven that had been submitted to the court by July 22, asking to uphold a 2025 ruling restoring more than $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard.
In a filing on June 23, Hillel International lawyer David Zimmer wrote that “Unbeknownst to undersigned counsel, authorization to file the brief was provided to counsel without the brief having gone through a required internal review process within Hillel.”
Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, is separate from Harvard Hillel, an independent non-profit whose executive director, Rabbi Jason Rubinstein, noted in an interview that “it was not our decision either to submit or withdraw the brief.” He added, “I first saw the text of it when the rest of the world saw it.”
In a statement issued Thursday, Harvard Hillel underscored its independence from the international organization, noting that its “primary commitment is to the welfare and dignity of Harvard’s Jewish community…We hope that this dispute between Harvard and our government soon comes to a resolution that safeguards the rights of Harvard’s Jewish students and faculty, strengthens the University’s academic mission, and advances the preeminence of American research and industry.”
In its now withdrawn brief, Hillel International cited nationwide statistics, noting that it had recorded 180 antisemitic incidents on university campuses in 2020, as compared to 2,334 in 2025, “an increase of more than 1000 percent.” In a 2024 survey, the brief added, “41 percent of Jewish students felt the need to hide their identity, and more than a quarter had taken security precautions.”
“The prevalence of antisemitism on university campuses in recent years would shock those who attended college in the United States twenty or thirty years ago,” the brief stated. “Especially since the attacks of October 7, 2023, the number of antisemitic incidents on university campuses has dramatically increased, transforming Jewish campus life. Harvard is no exception to this trend. But far from ignoring these issues, Harvard has begun to address them.”
But the brief went on to argue that cutting Harvard off from “billions of dollars in lifesaving scientific and medical research” would “not help Jewish students or improve the campus climate.” Instead, such measures would “disproportionately impact the very Jewish students and Jewish researchers the government purportedly seeks to help. Accordingly, Hillel respectfully urges this Court to affirm the district court’s decision.”
