Harvard University is facing a new lawsuit filed by a group of several Jewish students who claim they have been “subjected to a severe and pervasive antisemitic hostile educational environment” that has only worsened since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.
“Mobs of pro-Hamas students and faculty have marched by the hundreds through Harvard’s campus, shouting vile antisemitic slogans and calling for death to Jews and Israel,” according to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday.
“Those mobs have occupied buildings, classrooms, libraries, student lounges, plazas, and study halls, often for days or weeks at a time, promoting violence against Jews,” the students said.
The plaintiffs include members of Students Against Antisemitism, Inc., who allege that the university violated their civil rights by allowing harassment, assault and intimidation against Jewish students to go unchecked.
Similar lawsuits have also been filed against New York University and the University of Pennsylvania by the Kasowitz Benson Torres law firm, which is repping the Harvard students.
Marc Kasowitz, a partner at the firm, said that legal action was necessary because Harvard would not “correct its deep-seated antisemitism problem voluntarily.”
The university has yet to comment publicly on the litigation, and although about a dozen students are currently facing disciplinary action related to pro-Palestinian activities, a spokesperson Harvard couldn’t comment on their cases.
Colleges have received repeated warnings from the U.S. Department of Education saying that if they did not combat antisemitism and Islamophobia on their campuses that they would risk losing federal money.
“No student should feel unsafe on campus. The Office for Civil Rights takes these cases very seriously,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said after he met with students on Wednesday.
“If any student on campus feels that any protest or messaging makes them feel unsafe, we ask for an investigation,” he added.
With News Wire Services
