Columbia University opens $21 million compensation fund for harassed Jewish employees

Columbia says the claims program is intended not only to provide compensation but also to signal that the university is committed to ensuring Jewish and Israeli members of its community are protected going forward.

By Aaron Sull, Jewish Breaking News

Columbia University has opened a new $21 million claims fund for harassed Jewish employees as part of its settlement with the Trump administration to restore millions in frozen federal funding.

In a campus-wide announcement On Thursday, Columbia announced that employees may seek compensation if they faced harassment or discrimination “based on their religion (Jewish), race (Jewish), and national origin (Israeli)” in the period following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.

The fund allows claims related to verbal hostility, exclusion from academic or professional activities, retaliation, or administrative failure to respond to complaints during the height of campus unrest.

Anti-Israel tensions at Columbia exploded after Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza that followed. Multiple investigations revealed disturbing incidents such as Jewish students being told to “go back to Poland” and “stop killing children” as anti-Israel protests swept across campus.

Administrators moved classes online and relied on New York police to clear encampments that took over Columbia’s lawns for weeks.

Ultimately, the Department of Education concluded the university repeatedly failed to intervene, with one finding that Columbia “acted with deliberate indifference” toward harassment of Jewish students.

The pressure escalated dramatically when the Trump administration cut $400 million in grants and contracts in March for failing to safeguard its Jewish students.

To regain compliance, Columbia agreed in July to pay $200 million, adopt a working definition of antisemitism that includes certain forms of anti-Zionist harassment, strengthen its Title VI and Title VII procedures, appoint new coordinators responsible for reviewing discrimination complaints tied to Jewish or Israeli identity, and overhaul disciplinary processes that previously allowed protest-related harassment to go unpunished.

Acting President Claire Shipman also committed to mandatory antisemitism training in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League and the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, as well as ongoing reporting to federal authorities.

Columbia says the claims program is intended not only to provide compensation but also to signal that the university is committed to ensuring Jewish and Israeli members of its community are protected going forward.

The filing period runs through July 23, 2025, giving affected staff time to gather documentation and formally submit their experiences for review.