New York University has failed to address a sharp rise in anti-Semitism on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, leaving some Jewish students feeling “besieged,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The prestigious Big Apple university has faced numerous cases of anti-Semitism over the past decade, which increased sharply after Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis and the Jewish state began retaliating against the Gaza Strip, three Jewish students said in the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court.
Crowds of students have harassed and intimidated NYU’s Jewish population, regularly confronting them with chants of “Hitler was right” and “gas the Jews,” among other hateful phrases, according to the lawsuit.
Additionally, many students and teachers have “enthusiastically supported” Hamas’s deadly attack on the Jewish state, the lawsuit states.
When Jewish students ask administrators for help, their complaints are “ignored, slowed down, or rejected,” the lawsuit alleges.
Students, including those from New York University, during a pro-Palestinian strike in Washington Square Park.James Keivom
As a result, the students were “traumatized” and feel treated as “second-class citizens” at New York University because of their Jewish identity and ancestry, the lawsuit claims.
“The effect of NYU’s inaction and, indeed, complicity in the torrent of anti-Jewish hatred that has engulfed its campus has been the normalization of anti-Semitism in the NYU community,” states part of the demand.
“While pro-Hamas teachers and students are allowed to engage in vicious anti-Semitic hate speech, Jewish students are told to remain silent, keep a low profile, avoid making waves, and call a welfare hotline.” .
The three students suing the school want a court to force NYU to implement measures that better combat anti-Semitism, including disciplining students and staff behind hateful actions.
A student is seen in Washington Square Park with an anti-Semitic sign. Twitter/@StopAntisemites
“New York University’s deliberate indifference to the plight of its Jewish students under siege by egregious anti-Semitism has been outrageous,” one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Marc Kasowitz, said in a statement.
“We ask the Court to force NYU to comply with the Civil Rights Act, its own supposed policies, and basic human decency, something the University has to date failed to do and has refused to do on its own.” alone”.
An NYU spokesperson said the university looks forward to “challenging the one-sided narrative of this lawsuit.”
New York University students tearing down Hamas hostage posters. Instagram/sophiagindi_
“The claims in this lawsuit do not accurately describe the conditions on our campus or the many steps NYU has been taking to combat anti-Semitism and keep the campus safe,” spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to The Post.
“Anti-Semitism violates our rules; “We take issues of anti-Semitism and any other form of hate very seriously, and we are committed to safeguarding our community and providing an environment in which all students can live and learn in peace.”
He noted that New York University, which has a campus in Tel Aviv, was one of the first American universities to condemn the Oct. 7 attack and has a large academic presence in Israel.
The lawsuit alleges that the University has abandoned Jewish students during a traumatic time. Getty Images
“NYU hopes to set the record straight, challenge the one-sided narrative of this lawsuit, make clear the many efforts NYU has made to combat anti-Semitism, and provide a safe environment for Jewish and non-Jewish students.” , and prevail in court. ”Beckman also said.
Additional reporting by Ben Kochman
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Source: vtt.edu.vn