Israeli University of Virginia student who says he was attacked by anti-Semites settles case out of court
The case revolved around a student, Matan Goldstein, who said the university took no effective action to discipline those who physically and verbally harassed him.
The terms of the settlement are apparently not public.
A Jewish Israeli-American student at the University of Virginia who sued the school over an anti-Semitism incident recently settled with the school out of court.
Matan Goldstein and the university came to the agreement in the end of November, according to a Sunday article from The Daily Progress.
The parties involved refused to explain the exact terms to The Daily Progress.
Goldstein initially sued the school on May 17, saying he was “a victim of hate-based, intentional discrimination, severe harassment and abuse, and illegal retaliation.”
[RELATED: Federal judge allows anti-Semitism lawsuit against Harvard to proceed]
The lawsuit claimed that the university’s leadership failed to take effective action to stop anti-Semitism at the school.
Goldstein claimed that, on Oct. 25, 2023, shortly after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist massacre, he attended an anti-Israel rally on campus organized by pro-Palestinian groups, to which he took “his Yarmulke, his Star of David, and . . . the flag of Israel.”
As a result of this pro-Israel display, Goldstein was allegedly “berated, insulted, threatened with violence, and physically assaulted,” with anti-Israel activists yelling terms like “filthy Jews” and “Hitler” at him and his peers.
The lawsuit criticized the University of Virginia for not taking any real steps to address what happened to Goldstein and others, and to discipline the disruptive activists.
[RELATED: Guns, pro-terrorist signs and messages found at SJP leaders’ residence]
Multiple universities continue to face criticism over their mishandling or promotion of anti-Semitism.
A University of Michigan Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) official was recently let go by the school for her “extremely poor judgment” after claims surfaced that she said the school was “controlled by wealthy Jews,” among other anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments.
A university spokesperson gave Campus Reform what he said was a “joint statement on behalf of the University and Mr. Goldstein:”: “The parties have reached a resolution in this lawsuit. Matan Goldstein appreciates the steps the University, President, Rector, and the Board of Visitors have taken to combat antisemitism on Grounds. Everyone should remain vigilant against antisemitism and all types of religious intolerance and discrimination. The parties will have no further comment.”
Goldstein told Campus Reform: “The point of my lawsuit was to bring awareness to the problem of antisemitism on American campus[es] as well as how poorly my situation was dealt with. I believe we all hope that this settlement will foster an environment that preserves the liberties of all Jewish students, including my own. May my story never repeat.”
