Hillel International Moves to Withdraw Harvard Court Brief After Backlash

Hillel International said it will withdraw a 22-page amicus brief supporting Harvard University's effort to protect about $2.7 billion in federal funding. Spokesperson Kenneth Baer said the filing reached the First Circuit Court of Appeals without the organization's internal review and that Hillel would seek withdrawal when the court opened Thursday. The brief had urged judges to uphold a ruling restoring frozen grants, calling the funding freeze a broad response to campus antisemitism. Jewish critics, including former Harvard student Shabbos Kestenbaum, denounced the filing before Hillel announced its reversal.