New York University (NYU) has settled with a group of Jewish students who had brought a lawsuit in November 2023, asserting that the university failed to deal with Jewish-related hatred on campus in an equitable manner. NYU and the litigant’s attorneys announced the settlement on Tuesday. All terms of the settlement are confidential, including any monetary reparations awarded to those students.
NYU juniors Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi, and Saul Tawil filed a suit in US district court earlier this year. They claimed that students have faced “widespread acts of hate, discrimination, harassment and intimidation.” It was alleged that after the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in October, the students experienced antisemitic rhetoric on campus. Among other things, “gas the Jews” and “Hitler was right” were heard at streetside demonstrations following a Jewish student’s meeting. Although such expressions as these should have been dealt with by authorities at NYU, no matter what their reasons are, many bigots seem to enjoy a kind of favoritism or tolerance.
NYU established the policy of strictly dealing with anti-Semitism and set up various programs to combat all kinds of discrimination. But in their suit, they said that these attempts were inadequate. In a joint statement, the two parties publicly acknowledged the settlement. NYU President Linda G. Mills said the university would continue “our vigorous work to fight discrimination, including anti-Semitism.” The settlement is reported to include measures beyond mere financial compensation. NYU is to update its anti-Semitism-related language in student conduct statutes.
Moreover, the university will require all students and staff to undergo special training to confront anti-Semitism. More academic resources will be devoted to study abroad programs focused on “Antisemitism and Judaic Studies,” an existing but expanded partnership with Tel Aviv University. This settlement is reminiscent of a 2020 deal between NYU and the U.S. Department of Education concerning how the university deals with ethnic or ancestral discrimination. This most recent settlement suggests that some Jewish NYU students believe their grievances have not been fully resolved.
This new agreement will concern people at NYU who have or will encounter antisemitism and those running colleges and universities across the country in an age of rising and widespread campus hatred.
Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz Benson Torres, LLP, counsel for the plaintiffs, stated: “NYU, by entering into this historic settlement, is to be commended for taking a leading position among American universities in combating antisemitism on campus. Other universities should promptly follow their lead.”