Cornell prof to file civil rights complaint after Israeli student doxxed for reporting discrimination
A Cornell law professor plans to file a federal civil rights complaint accusing the university of failing to protect an Israeli student whose identity was exposed after alleging discrimination.
Professor William Jacobson, head of the Equal Protection Project, said the doxxing has created a chilling effect for Jewish and Israeli students.
A Cornell law professor says he plans to file a federal civil rights complaint against the university, alleging it failed to protect an Israeli student who was publicly exposed after reporting discrimination.
“There has been a campaign to dox the student, to reveal his name, even though he is in fear of his safety,” the professor, William Jacobson, told The New York Post.
The Jewish student claimed he was excluded from a course on Gaza because of his nationality. Soon after, his name and past service in an Israeli military intelligence unit were leaked.
Jacobson, Founder of Equal Protection Project, told Campus Reform that “an investigation by federal authorities is needed because the Cornell administration, while it appears to have handled the initial complaint properly, has shown no public interest in pursuing the doxxing and the campus leak campaign against the student.”
Jacobson explained how merely settling and halting the investigation of the professor, it allows him to “escape without any consequence” and the university has stopped short, not giving the matter its proper attention.
“The attacks on him serve as a deterrent to other students who may want to come forward, particularly Israeli or Jewish students who may be afraid that if they do complain about discrimination, their name is going to appear in public and they will be subject to potential threats,” Jacobson added.
Jacobson leads the Equal Protection Project (EPP), which is a legal initiative affiliated with the Legal Insurrection Foundation that monitors and challenges discrimination in education, government, and the workplace.
EPP focuses on cases where individuals are treated differently based on race, ethnicity, or national origin.
“The Equal Protection Project and myself intend on filing a civil rights complaint with the Departments of Justice and Education, calling for an investigation of the harassment, intimidation and doxing of a student complainant in a Cornell University disciplinary matter,” Jacobson concluded.
Campus Reform has reported about various other lawsuits filed by EPP, including against Florida State University, Fordham University, and the University of Richmond.
This is far from the first time that Cornell has made headlines about anti-Semitism connected to its campus.
In April, Cornell faced backlash for hiring singer Kehlani, who had publicly called for Israel’s dismantling. Critics accused the school of ignoring anti-Semitism, while administrators claimed they learned of her views too late to replace her, a defense students dismissed as “laughable.”
This summer, two Jewish graduate students at Cornell filed a federal complaint accusing their campus union and its national affiliate of religious discrimination. The students said officials violated Title VII by denying their religious opt-out and subjecting them to intrusive questioning.
The Cornell administration also announced last month that it was investigating a spoofed email impersonating the university president that contained violent anti-Semitic and anti-LGBT threats. The message, traced to an overseas account, was reported to the FBI as campus and federal authorities launched a joint investigation.
Campus Reform has contacted Cornell University, Eric Cheyfitz, and William Jacobson for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
