American University has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint alleging it has discriminated against Jewish students by allowing growing antisemitism on its DC campus.
The Brandeis Center for Human Rights filed a complaint with the US Department of Education on behalf of Jewish students on the AU campus who have experienced “persistent and threatening anti-Semitic rhetoric and conduct,” according to the complaint.
“Jewish students have been shunned and marginalized in the classroom by their peers and faculty,” read the complaint filed with the department’s Civil Rights Division.
“The anti-Israel protests have disrupted these students’ ability to attend classes or move around campus freely. Posters of innocent men, women and children held hostage by the terrorist group Hamas, continue to be torn down by anti-Israel students.”
An American university has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint alleging it condones antisemitism. American University
One of the most egregious examples cited involved one of AU’s professors, who devoted classroom time to sharing photos of anti-Israel marches projected onto large screens. The professor also praised the anti-Israel protests.
One of the photos shows a Star of David in a trash can with the caption, “Keep the world clean.”
The professor then pointedly stared at a Jewish student in the class, causing many other classmates to turn and glare as well. The Jewish student left the class in tears, according to the complaint.
In another incident, a student yelled at a Jewish classmate and accused the individual of “genocide.”
The complaint discusses several Jewish students who were subject to disciplinary hearings for filming people tearing down Israeli hostage posters. Christopher Sadowski
“I don’t want to sit next to the same room with these Zionists… You have blood on your hands. You are responsible for the genocide,” the student said.
Neither the professor nor the administration addressed the behavior, the complaint said.
The complaint said the AU was harassing victims of antisemitism instead of helping them.
Several Jewish students faced disciplinary hearings for using their cellphones to film individuals tearing down posters of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas following the October 7 invasion.
The Jewish students said they filmed others taking down the poster because when they first reported the violation to university officials, they were told the school needed documentation to investigate.
A woman holds an antisemitic sign at a pro-Palestinian rally. James Keivom
Instead, the university launched an investigation into the Jewish students for harassment and disorderly conduct, and threatened them with disciplinary action if they provided evidence of the vandalism, the complaint alleges.
Some of the Jewish students were even told their study abroad programs could be canceled, the complaint said, while the intruders have not been punished.
“It is shameful that AU has repeatedly chosen to turn a blind eye to the snowball of anti-Semitism on its campus,” said Brandeis Center founder and chairman Kenneth Marcus.
Julia Jassey, co-founder and CEO of Jewish on Campus, said, “Jewish students deserve consistent support from their university administrators, not harassment for standing up to anti-Semitism.”
Some Jewish students were even told that their study abroad programs could be cancelled. American University
Matt Bennett, AU’s VP of communications, said, “We take this issue and any concerns within the AU Jewish community very seriously, and we are reviewing and addressing them. We will cooperate with any questions about our work to combat antisemitism.
“American universities support the safety, well-being and sense of belonging for our Jewish students, a community that has been and remains an integral part of the fabric of our university… While we have made progress in the fight against antisemitism, we know we have more work to do.”
The Department of Education had no immediate comment.
The department is currently investigating complaints the Brandeis Center filed with the feds against Brooklyn College, Wellesley, SUNY New Paltz, the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Illinois.
The department is also reviewing discrimination claims involving Rutgers University, Stanford, University of California Los Angeles, University of California San Diego, University of Washington — Seattle and Whitman College in Washington State as well as Harvard, Cornell, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
