Hunter College professor files lawsuit alleging inaction on anti-Semitism
A Hunter College professor, Leah Garrett, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the institution has failed to address anti-Semitism on campus, subjecting her to discrimination and hostility due to her Jewish identity.
Her complaint cites longstanding issues, including failure to act on chants of “Death to Jews” during protests and inadequate responses from college authorities.
A professor at Hunter College, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, recently filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging that it has failed to address anti-Semitism on its campus.
The professor is Leah Garrett, who holds the Larry and Klara Silverstein Chair in Jewish Studies and is the director of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Hunter College.
Her lawsuit was filed on Dec. 17 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Garrett’s lawsuit describes that, while CUNY Hunter thinks of itself as a “champion of tolerance,” it has nonetheless failed to “resolve promptly any complaints of harassment and discrimination” against Jewish students.
“Instead of ensuring a workplace free from discrimination and harassment as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the College has allowed antisemitism to fester, subjecting Plaintiff to relentless hostility and unequal treatment because of her Jewish identity,” Garrett asserts in her complaint.
Garrett continues to write that CUNY Hunter “abdicated its responsibility to combat antisemitism, failing to take any meaningful steps to address the growing hostility on campus” and “refused to collaborate” with Garrett to take “substantive and remedial action” against the anti-Semitism.
“CUNY Hunter’s failure to take action to combat antisemitism on campus is not new,” Garrett’s lawsuit states. It then indicates that the Office of Civil Rights and NY Governor Kathy Hochul both concluded that the school “failed to take adequate action to address antisemitism on campus.”
Further, Garrett’s lawsuit alleges that “an independent investigation dating back to 2016 revealed that CUNY Hunter demonstrators openly chanted slogans such as ‘Jews out of CUNY’ and ‘Death to Jews’ without facing consequences.”
CUNY is not alone in allegedly failing to address anti-Semitism on its campuses. Earlier this year, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released an annual report which found that anti-Israel activity massively increased following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
In fact, between June 2023 and May 2024, there was a “staggering 477% increase” in anti-Israel incidents compared to a year prior, according to the ADL’s findings.
“This marks the highest number ever documented by ADL,” the report concluded. “These incidents included both blatant acts of antisemitism, as well as anti-Israel activity, which is not always antisemitic.”
Campus Reform has contacted Hunter College and Professor Leah Garrett for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
