Cooper Union sued for anti-Semitism, plaintiffs cite infamous locking of Jewish students in library
A group of Jewish students at Cooper Union in New York City, represented by the Lawfare Project, filed a lawsuit against the school’s administration on April 9.
'This case is about the egregious and unaddressed rise in antisemitism at Cooper, which led to a group of Jewish students being locked in a campus library,' the lawsuit reads.
A group of Jewish students at Cooper Union in New York City, represented by the Lawfare Project, filed a lawsuit against the school’s administration on April 9, alleging rampant anti-Semitism at the institution.
“This case is about the egregious and unaddressed rise in antisemitism at Cooper Union,” the lawsuit reads, “which led to a group of Jewish students being locked in a campus library to shield them from an unruly mob of students that was calling for the destruction of Israel and worldwide violence against Jews.”
[RELATED: MIT students sue school over failure to protect fellow Jews on campus]
The lawsuit alleges that Cooper Union had “every reason to expect” the rise in anti-Semitism that has occurred on college campuses since Hamas’ deadly attacks against Israel on Oct. 7.
Yet, “[d]espite this knowledge,” the plaintiffs state, “Cooper Union failed to take measures to ensure that its Jewish students who identify with Israel . . . would not be targeted, threatened, or harassed.”
The plaintiffs also allege that the administration “exhibited callous and deliberate indifference to the suffering of the Jewish community by failing to swiftly and unequivocally condemn the massacre.” The complaint continues to describe the university’s statement condemning Hamas’ attack as “woefully inadequate.”
The document also lists other instances of alleged anti-Semitism at the school, including the failure of the administration to remove posters accusing Israel of “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing.”
The Lawfare Project, which serves as legal counsel against anti-Semitism, issued a press release describing what occurred at the Oct. 25 pro-Palestine protest that ended with Jewish students locked in a campus library.
“On October 25, 2023, an anti-Israel demonstration — which began with calls for the annihilation of Israel and its people — ended with Jewish students locked in the school library as a mob of demonstrators shouted antisemitic slogans while pounding on the glass walls and trying to force the doors open,” the press release states. “NYPD officers were called to the scene, but the President of Cooper Union directed them to stand down, leaving the frightened students trapped inside.”
Campus Reform previously reported on this story with shared videos of the October incident.
“Cooper Union has failed to adequately protect not just our clients but other Jewish students on campus in the face of pro-Hamas hate,” Brooke Goldstein, executive director of the Lawfare Project, stated in the same press release. “No student should be subjected to intimidation, fear, or hatred when pursuing an education.”
According to the group’s statement, the Lawfare Project has filed lawsuits alleging anti-Semitism against other universities, including Carnegie Mellon and Columbia University.
“Despite the alarming rise in antisemitism, colleges across the United States are turning their backs on Jewish students,” Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project, continued. “We will do everything we can to fight for our clients as they courageously assert their rights under the law.”
Campus Reform has contacted Cooper Union for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
