Legal terms, explained plainly

The distinction — and overlap — between political criticism of Israeli policy and bigotry that denies Jews the right of self-determination or holds all Jews responsible for Israel.

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. Adopted as policy by some student governments and academic associations; opposed by 30+ U.S. states and recognized as antisemitic when applied as a collective punishment of Jews.

The medieval antisemitic conspiracy theory accusing Jews of murdering non-Jews — especially children — for ritual purposes. Recognized by IHRA as a contemporary form of antisemitism when echoed today.

Money awarded to make a plaintiff whole for losses caused by discrimination — including emotional distress, medical bills, lost opportunities, and out-of-pocket costs.

A court-approved settlement that binds the parties and is enforceable through contempt — used to resolve federal civil rights lawsuits with ongoing oversight.

The legal standard requiring a school to have known about harassment and responded in a clearly unreasonable way — the trigger for Title VI money-damages liability.

A formal pre-litigation letter from counsel to an institution describing legal violations and demanding specific corrective action — often the fastest, cheapest way to resolve school antisemitism.

The DOJ division that enforces federal civil rights laws — including Title VI — and litigates cases the executive branch chooses to pursue directly.

A theory of liability based on facially neutral policies that nonetheless fall disproportionately on a protected group, without sufficient justification.

Intentional discrimination — treating a person worse because of a protected characteristic. The classic theory behind most antisemitism claims.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII protections for Jewish employees.

The Fourteenth Amendment guarantee that no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws — the constitutional foundation for treating Jewish students the same as everyone else.

The December 2019 executive order directing federal agencies to consider the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when enforcing Title VI in cases involving Jewish students.

The constitutional protection of speech, assembly, and religion. It protects most antisemitic speech from government punishment — but it does not protect harassment, true threats, or selective enforcement.

A slogan calling for control of the entire territory “from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea” — the land that includes the State of Israel — widely understood as a call for Israel's elimination.

The rhetorical move of accusing Jews or Israel of behaving like Nazis — explicitly identified as antisemitism by the IHRA Working Definition.

A legal standard under Title VI describing harassment that is severe, pervasive, or persistent enough to interfere with a student's ability to participate in or benefit from a school's programs.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism, adopted by 45+ countries and the U.S. federal government, including eleven contemporary examples.

A court order requiring a defendant to do something or stop doing something — the primary forward-looking remedy in civil rights cases.

A 2021 academic statement on Israel-related antisemitism issued by the Nexus Task Force — sometimes invoked as an alternative or complement to the IHRA definition.

A free administrative complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights alleging that a federally funded school discriminated against a student — including on the basis of Jewish shared ancestry.

The enforcement office inside the U.S. Department of Education that investigates Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504 complaints — including antisemitism complaints against schools.

A category of people legally protected from discrimination — including race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, and disability. Jewish people are protected under national origin/shared ancestry and religion.

A voluntary binding agreement between OCR and a school resolving a civil rights investigation, typically requiring policy reforms, training, monitoring, and reporting.

42 U.S.C. § 1983 — the federal statute that lets individuals sue state and local officials for violating their constitutional rights, including Equal Protection and First Amendment violations.

The federal statute that lets prevailing civil rights plaintiffs recover their attorneys' fees from the defendant — the engine that makes private civil rights enforcement possible.

The legal theory that brings Jewish, Israeli, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, and other identity-based students under Title VI's “national origin” protection even though Title VI does not mention religion.

The federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. Often filed alongside Title VI when antisemitic harassment also involves sex-based or sexual conduct.

A federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance — including virtually every public school, college, and university in the United States.

A federal employment-discrimination law (42 U.S.C. § 2000e) that prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin — and from tolerating a hostile work environment.