Lawsuit claims Harvard violates civil rights of Jewish students

NEW YORK - In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday night, six graduate and law students at Harvard University claim the university is violating the civil rights of its Jewish students. 

According to a statement from the students' law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres, Harvard is "egregiously" violating of Jewish students who are "subjected to a severe and pervasive antisemitic hostile educational environment" which has worsened since October 7. 

One plaintiff, Alexander, or Shabbos, Kestenbaum, is mentioned in the lawsuit by name. Kestenbaum is a second-year graduate student at the Harvard Divinity School studying religion and politics. He is also the president and founder of the school's Jewish Student Association. 

"We have just filed a lawsuit against Harvard. For too long, Harvard has allowed, and in many cases, promoted, antisemitism on campus. This lawsuit gives a voice for all those who have been on the receiving end of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination," Kestenbaum posted Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. 

The other five plaintiffs are unnamed and mentioned as members of Students Against Antisemitism, Inc. 

Students allege "an egregious double standard"

According to the statement, the plaintiffs claim Harvard's "tolerance and enabling" of antisemitism permits the harassment of Jewish students and disruption of campus activities and classes with anti-Israel demonstrations.

"Harvard’s response to antisemitic discrimination and harassment reflects an egregious double standard by which it treats Jewish students as unworthy of the protections it readily affords non-Jewish students," the statement said. 

"The complaint alleges claims under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief requiring Harvard to implement institutional, far-reaching, and concrete remedial measures, including disciplinary measures against deans, administrators, professors, and other employees responsible for antisemitic abuse, whether because they engage in it or permit it; against students who engage in such conduct; declining and returning any donations, whether from foreign countries or elsewhere, conditioned on the hiring or promotion of professors who espouse antisemitism or the inclusion of antisemitic coursework or curricula; and requiring antisemitism training for Harvard community members," according to the statement. 

The lawsuit comes a day after the co-chairs of the US Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism called for a full Senate education committee hearing on rising antisemitism on college campuses.

Earlier this week, House Committee on Education Chairwoman Virginia Foxx requested Harvard to submit documentation of antisemitic incidents and disciplinary procedures within two weeks.