NYU Alumni Club of Israel suspends cooperation over student safety concerns

The NYU Alumni Club of Israel has taken a bold step, suspending cooperation and affiliation with NYU and its institutions, according to a letter published exclusively by The New York Post.

Their decision comes as they express deep concerns about the safety of Jewish students on campus, demanding that NYU takes more effective measures to protect them from extreme rhetoric and violence tied to faculty and student-led hate groups operating under the university's name.

In a letter addressed to NYU President Linda Mills and Chairman Evan Chesler, the club made their stance clear, quoting their primary concern: "Until NYU can effectively protect its Jewish students from extreme rhetoric and violence associated with faculty and student-led hate groups using the university's name, the NYU Alumni Club of Israel suspends any cooperation and affiliation with NYU and its institutions."

The letter underscored the pressing need for universities to address and combat antisemitism and hate speech on their campuses while emphasizing the importance of creating a safe and inclusive educational environment for all students.

The school was sued last Tuesday by three Jewish students who accused it of creating a hostile environment in which Jewish students are subjected to pervasive antisemitic hatred, discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.

Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi and Saul Tawil said in their complaint filed in Manhattan federal court that NYU has refused to enforce its own policies against bigotry, including by allowing chants such as "gas the Jews" and "Hitler was right."

They also said Jewish students' complaints are "ignored, slow-walked, or met with gaslighting" by NYU administrators, including new President Linda Mills, who they say falsely dismisses antisemitism on campus as overstated.

The lawsuit seeks to require NYU to terminate employees, including administrators and professors, and suspend or expel students who engage in such abuse, and pay compensatory and punitive damages.

On the same day the suit was filed, the school announced plans to launch a center dedicated to studying and combating antisemitism.

The Center for the Study of Antisemitism center will research both “classical” anti-Jewish discrimination and “the ‘new antisemitism’ and its links to anti-Zionism,” Mills said in a statement last Wednesday.

Antisemitism concerns at NYU not a new issue

This is not the first time NYU has been sued regarding the issue of antisemitism on campus. In 2020, the university and the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reached a settlement after a complaint by a former student was filed.

Under the terms of the agreement, the school agreed to implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism: “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

Following the settlement, the complainant expressed her satisfaction, but also concern that the university might not enforce their new policy when it comes to anti-Israel rhetoric.

"What I’m hesitant about [regarding] the agreement is that I know the OCR and executive order operate with the IHRA definition of antisemitism – which of course includes anti-Zionism – and I’m worried that NYU might not include anti-Zionism in their antisemitism training," NYU graduate Adela Cojab said in 2020, adding that the "brunt of the discrimination" she endured was because of her Zionism and "connection to Israel as a Jewish person."

Reuters, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.