Harvard's antisemitism issues are systemic, go beyond Claudine Gay: Jonathan Frieden
Harvard Law student Jonathan Frieden reacts to Claudine Gay's resignation over antisemitism and plagiarism controversies on 'America's Newsroom.'
Harvard University is being sued by students for what they claim is an "antisemitism cancer" growing on campus, accusing the institution of "hir[ing] professors who support anti-Jewish violence" and "ignoring students' pleas for protection."
"Harvard and its administrators… directly and intentionally discriminate against… Jewish Harvard student[s]," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Kasowitz Benson Torres (KBT), a major New York City law firm that has been investigating colleges for allegedly violating Jewish students' Title VI civil rights.
KBT recently hit New York University with litigation, the first of what is expected to be a series of legal actions from the firm against elite universities.
Title VI prohibits any institution that receives federal funding from discriminating against groups on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The lawsuit alleges that the antisemitism is "severe and pervasive" and that it created a "hostile environment" where Jewish students are "unsafe against their abusers."
The Israel-Gaza war sparked antisemitic hostilities in cities all over the United States, including college campuses. (Fox News Digital)
Not only do students face antisemitism, the suit said, but the institution avoids taking action and enforcing its policies to protect Jews in particular.
"Harvard and its administrators… directly and intentionally discriminate against… Jewish Harvard student[s]," the lawsuit alleges.
The suit called for courts to force Harvard to take action, including disciplinary action such as "termination" of professors, and "suspension" of students.
"Harvard does nothing to protect Jews in response to complaints concerning its faculty," the suit states.
One example the lawsuit cites is that Harvard did "nothing" regarding one of its faculty members glorifying terrorism.
"Harvard FXB Center Visiting Scholar Sawsan Abdulrahim… tweeted a graphic glorifying a Hamas terrorist paraglider a day after Hamas’s massacre and who continues to tweet messages glorifying the Intifada," the suit claims.
Harvard was sued for "antisemitism cancer" on its campus, "damaging" its Jewish students. (Getty)
Most significantly, it demanded Harvard refuse foreign donations from countries that are trying to promote an antisemitic agenda.
Rep. James Comer, R-K.Y., asked then-Harvard President Claudine Gay about the university's acceptance of funding from "sources that support Hamas or have links to terrorist organizations, like Qatar, Lebanon, and the Palestinian Authority."
Gay responded that "Harvard has policies that govern the acceptance of gifts and contracts beginning with respecting federal law . . . then we go further and only accept gifts that align with our mission."
Accepting donations from those entities influenced the coursework and professors hired, the suit claims.
A video board monitor truck drives around the neighborhood of the Harvard University President’s house Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Harvard president Claudine Gay steppe down from her leadership position after plagiarism, antisemitism scandals. (Hans Pennink for Fox News Digital)
The lawsuit asked the court to intervene and said Harvard should "declin[e] and retur[n] donations… from foreign countries… implicitly or explicitly conditioned on the hiring or promotion of professors who espouse antisemitism or the inclusion of antisemitic coursework or curricula."
During the infamous testimony of former President Gay, a Jewish student considered "leaving Harvard because he felt he was in physical danger after she "refused to say under oath that calling for the genocide of his people violated Harvard policy."
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The suit sought punitive relief for the damage caused to Jewish students.
"Jewish Harvard student[s]… have been damaged and continue to sustain substantial damages, in amounts to be determined at trial," the suit said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard for comment and did not immediately receive a response.