The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched Title VI investigations into four top medical schools—Harvard, Columbia, Brown, and Johns Hopkins—over allegations of antisemitism during their 2024 commencement ceremonies. The move marks a significant expansion of federal scrutiny into campus antisemitism, a process that was previously concentrated within the Department of Education.
The investigations, announced this week, stem from reports of antisemitic incidents at the graduation ceremonies of the medical programs in question. According to an HHS statement, the department aims to determine whether the schools “acted with deliberate indifference regarding events that may have impacted Jewish students’ rights to access educational opportunities and benefits.”
Federal officials have signaled that research funding at these institutions—totaling hundreds of millions of dollars—could be at risk if the schools fail to comply. The department’s press release noted that the ceremonies allegedly featured “offensive symbols and messaging,” including expressions of support for terrorist organizations.
The expansion of Title VI enforcement comes amid reports that President Donald Trump, who has been vocal about cracking down on antisemitism on campuses, is considering dismantling the Department of Education. His administration also launched five new Title VI investigations this week through the education department, while the Justice Department is reportedly collaborating with both agencies as part of a broader federal task force addressing campus antisemitism.
At least one of the HHS investigations appears to have been influenced by a study published in an Israeli medical journal by two American Jewish doctors, Steven Roth and Hedy S. Wald. The study examined recent medical school commencements, including Harvard’s, and identified clothing and behaviors it classified as antisemitic. Roth and Wald found that 2.5% of the studied graduating cohort wore “symbols representing antisemitic themes,” while 1.7% displayed protest signs or engaged in verbal demonstrations.
The study categorized the wearing of a keffiyeh as “antisemitic regalia.” Other examples flagged as antisemitic in the study included signs reading “Stop Bombing Hospitals,” “Honor Our Oath — Free Palestine,” and “Harvard Med Funds Genocide.”
