Swastikas, taunts and harassment: Jewish students at American University allege antisemitism
Complaint is one of dozens filed against colleges nationwide under Title VI of US Civil Rights Act
American University in Washington, D.C. Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
By Beth Harpaz January 17, 2024
Jewish students at American University in Washington, D.C., say they have faced antisemitic vandalism, taunts and harassment in dorms, classrooms and elsewhere on campus.
Their allegations were detailed in a Title VI complaint filed Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination by institutions receiving federal funding.
University spokesperson Matt Bennett said AU takes the safety of its Jewish students seriously. “We have taken decisive action to address antisemitism,” he said, including working with the FBI on investigations, enforcing the student conduct code, and using the curriculum to address antisemitism. He called the university’s Jewish community “an important part of the fabric of our university.”
“While we have made progress in combatting antisemitism, we know we have more work to do,” he added.
The complaint was filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish on Campus. It’s one of dozens of such cases being investigated by the Department of Education since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombing and invasion of Gaza.
That conflict has sparked a pro-Palestinian protest movement on campuses nationwide along with reports of a deluge of antisemitic incidents, including vandalism, hostile environments and targeting of Jewish college students — even in some cases by faculty. Jewish students have transferred out of some schools and Jewish high school seniors have decided against applying to others.
The complaint against American University says dormitory doors and posters of Jewish and Israeli students were vandalized with swastikas and threats, and that anti-Israel protests disrupted classes and blocked Jewish students’ access to dining halls, classrooms and student spaces. The complaint also says that Jewish students have been targeted by peers and faculty, and that as a result, they feel afraid, anxious and marginalized.
In one case, an Israeli student was allegedly spit on by students and a flyer promoting his piano recital was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, including swastikas and the words, “Death to the Zionists, Hitler was right.” Jewish students also say they faced taunts of “Zionist killer,” “Zionist pig” and “You have blood on your hands,” and were accused of being “responsible for genocide.”
In another case, according to the complaint, a professor showed photos of pro-Palestinian protests that included a sign depicting a Star of David in a trash can and the words, “Keep the World Clean.” A Jewish student left the room in tears because they felt the professor and other students were staring at them. In another classroom incident described by the Brandeis Center, a student yelled at a Jewish peer: “I do not want to sit on the same side of the room as this Zionist,” and “You have blood on your hands. You are responsible for genocide.”
The complaint also alleges that while the university responded to incidents of Islamophobia, AU officials failed to investigate reports of antisemitism. And when Jewish students who complained about Israeli hostage posters being torn down were told to provide evidence, they videotaped students removing the flyers — but were then subject to a disciplinary hearing by the university, the complaint said.
“Not only has the university failed in its legal obligation to protect Jewish students from illegal targeting and harassment, it is attempting to bully those brave enough to speak up,” Brandeis Center founder and chairman Kenneth L. Marcus said in a statement. “The university’s delinquency is reprehensible, and it only signals to the AU community there are no consequences for those who harass, threaten, assault or shun Jewish and Israeli students, emboldening those hostile to Jews even further,”
The Brandeis Center is also representing students in complaints or lawsuits alleging antisemitism at Wellesley, the State University of New York at New Paltz, the University of Southern California, Brooklyn College, the University of Illinois, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Vermont.
Title VI complaints require an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, which could withhold federal funding from institutions found to be in violation of federal law. In other cases, including incidents at Harvard, New York University, Rutgers and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, students have filed lawsuits seeking remedies including monetary damages.
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