Harvard University, in a move long sought-after by advocates for Jewish college students, agreed on Thursday to cover all security costs for the university’s Hillel ahead of the upcoming academic year, Jewish Insider has learned. 

“By taking on responsibility for security at Hillel, Harvard University is making a powerful statement: Harvard is committed to the safety of Jewish students,” Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, executive director of Harvard Hillel, told JI. 

Security costs “represent a significant part of our annual budget,” Rubenstein said, declining to provide figures. The agreement is slated to run through the rest of Harvard President Alan Garber’s tenure, which is set to conclude at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.   

“We should take this moment to appreciate the efficacy of Hillel’s advocacy and President Garber’s principled leadership. While more work remains to be done, tangible results like these are encouraging signs of the will and capacity for real and significant institutional change at Harvard,” Rubenstein continued, noting that advocacy efforts for Harvard to take on Hillel’s security have been in the works for several years, predating the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.  

Harvard has faced billions of dollars in federal funding cuts for research from the Trump administration over its alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. The university’s decision to fund Hillel security comes as it has signaled a willingness to settle with the government to restore its funds, The New York Times reported this week — a deal which could see the school agree to the Trump administration’s demand for as much as $500 million to end its clash. 

The Ivy League school has made several recent attempts to appeal to the Jewish community as it gears up for a settlement. On Monday, the university expanded its ties to Israel, announcing a new undergraduate study abroad program with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a postdoctoral fellowship for Israeli scientists at Harvard Medical School.  

“Harvard University’s commitment to the safety and well-being of members of our Jewish community is paramount,” a Harvard spokesperson told JI. “Recent tragic events in communities across the country are evidence of the growth in antisemitism and further Harvard’s resolve in our efforts to combat antisemitism on our campus.”

The university did not respond to a follow-up inquiry from JI asking why Chabad is not receiving security funding as well. Harvard Hillel’s dining facility and other spaces are generally more easily accessible, with Harvard students, faculty and staff being able to enter by swiping their university ID.  

The decision for universities to take on Hillel security costs has been in flux in recent years. Yale University, for example, announced in December 2023 — as a response to Oct. 7 and subsequent rise of antisemitism on campus — that it would expand a pilot program launched the year prior and fully fund the cost of day-to-day security service for the Slifka Center, the university’s Hillel, for at least three years.

Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, called for “other universities to follow Harvard’s example in this decision.”

“Harvard’s decision to fund these essential security measures reflects the understanding that Jewish students, like all students, deserve to be safe and welcome on campus,” Lehman told JI.