Hunter College has become a “hostile work environment” for Jews because of the administration's refusal to suppress anti-Semitic protests, the university's director of Jewish studies claims in a federal lawsuit.
Leah Garrett, director of the school's Center for Jewish Studies, said public university leaders turned a blind eye to the anti-Semitic demonstrations that erupted across Upper East Side campuses in the aftermath of Oct. 7. According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, David protested and called for the expulsion of Zionists, including allowing students to brandish posters with blood dripping from the star. is requesting.
“After October 7th, I saw the prevalence, persuasion, and persistence of anti-Semitism on Hunter College’s campus that I and my students have had to deal with. I was horrified and distraught. My faculty had to deal with it,” Garrett told the Post.
“The government was literally doing nothing to stop it,” she added.
In November 2023, Hunter College leaders removed Garrett for bureaucratic and legal reasons after he begged them to cover up a swastika on an Israeli hostage poster on campus, according to the complaint. He continued to resist for hours, claiming he was tied up.
Months later, the university's anti-Israel student group published a photo of the professor on social media, and at least one student sent her an anti-Semitic message claiming that Satanists are “more moral” than Jews. After the email, City University leaders failed to address the professor's safety concerns. The complaint stated:
Garrett, who was hired by Hunter College in 2018 and earned $172,710 in fiscal year 2023, said he would “navigate an increasingly hostile work environment and serve as the sole academic advocate for Jewish students and faculty.” “I was forced to take on the additional burden of taking on this role.” In the court record.
In addition to being negligent, CUNY violated Garrett's civil rights and breached its contract by allowing anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, according to the complaint.
“I hope this lawsuit shines a bright light on yet another City University of New York dumpster fire,” said City Councilman Kalman Yeager (D-Brooklyn). He also recently co-authored a scathing letter to City University of New York Mayor Felix Matos Rodriguez calling for an investigation into the anti incident. -An Israeli professor who allegedly helped organize a destructive rally at City University in April.
Garrett is seeking damages, the amount of which will be determined in court, and is represented by Lawfare Project and Alston & Bird.
A spokesperson for Hunter College declined to comment on the pending lawsuit, but said the school “does not tolerate anti-Semitism or hatred of any kind.”
