NYU settles lawsuit with Jewish students, reasserts 'vigorous efforts' to fight anti-Semitism
On July 8, New York University settled an anti-discrimination lawsuit that was filed by Jewish students who had alleged that the university allowed rampant anti-Semitism.
'We are committed to continuing our vigorous efforts to confront discrimination, including antisemitism, and the settlement in this litigation is yet another step in this direction,' president Linda Mills said.
New York University settled an anti-discrimination lawsuit that was filed by Jewish students who had alleged that the university administration allowed rampant anti-Semitism on its campus to go unchecked in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel.
The parties announced in a joint statement on July 9 that, through the settlement, NYU has “committed to take groundbreaking measures to address antisemitism, including in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and ensuing violence in the Middle East.”
Additionally, NYU agreed to create a new administrative position called a Title VI Coordinator, which will “review and implement all applicable regulations and guidance from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights” to ensure compliance with Title VI, “including ensuring that NYU responds adequately and consistently to allegations of discrimination.”
Beyond NYU’s commitment to equally enforcing non-discrimination policies, some of the precise specifications of the settlement, including “monetary terms,” are confidential, according to the parties’ joint statement.
NYU president Linda Mills said in the July 9 statement: “We are committed to continuing our vigorous efforts to confront discrimination, including antisemitism, and the settlement in this litigation is yet another step in this direction.”
The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 14 by three Jewish students at NYU who were all juniors during the 2023–24 school year: Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi, and Saul Tawil.
Many lawsuits alleging the existence of unchecked anti-Semitism on college campuses have been filed since.
The lawsuit outlined instances of anti-Semitic chants and practices on NYU’s campus.
The plaintiffs were “[r]egularly confronted with such genocidal chants as, ‘Hitler was right,’ ‘gas the Jews,’ ‘death to kikes,’ and ‘from the river to the sea,’ and other abuse,” the lawsuit alleged. “Plaintiffs not only have been deprived of the ability and opportunity to fully and meaningfully participate in NYU’s educational and other programs, but they have suffered and have been put at severe risk of extreme emotional and physical injury.”
But the students contended in their complaint that NYU had turned a blind eye to the abuse.
“For years, NYU—acutely aware of ongoing and disgraceful acts of anti-Jewish bigotry—has reacted with, at best, deliberate indifference, refusing to enforce its own anti-discrimination and conduct policies that it readily applies to protect other targets of bigotry,” the students argued.
Campus Reform has contacted New York University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
