Lawsuit Filed Against The New School for Antisemitic Harassment

On the three-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, a former Jewish student from The New School has initiated a federal lawsuit against the institution. The student claims that the university failed to safeguard her against antisemitic harassment, physical attacks, vandalism, and being excluded from certain campus areas.

The lawsuit was brought by The Lawfare Project, an organization committed to advocating for the civil and human rights of Jewish individuals globally, alongside co-counsel Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of Sophie Shabot, an American citizen of Jewish and Israeli descent, who studied at The New School’s Parsons School of Design.

The complaint correlates with the anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack that resulted in over 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of 251 individuals. Shabot alleges that following the attack, she faced a series of antisemitic incidents while on campus.

According to the lawsuit, in December 2023, protesters obstructed Shabot’s entry into the University Center while allowing other students to pass. During this confrontation, she asserts that she was pushed from the building, spat upon, and yelled at through a bullhorn.

Further allegations in the lawsuit describe an incident in March 2024 where protesters vandalized a designated space for a Hillel event featuring an Israeli speaker, preventing Jewish students from accessing it. As a result, the event was relocated to a dean’s office lacking security, leaving Shabot and her peers trapped for around 20 minutes as protesters banged on the door and demanded the speaker be handed over.

The Lawfare Project reports that during this time, a professor at The New School physically pushed a student who was guarding the door, and rather than ensuring the security of the gathering, the event was canceled due to safety worries.

As Shabot and her fellow students departed, the lawsuit claims that protesters harassed her for several blocks, taunting her with derogatory names. The Lawfare Project asserts that no disciplinary actions were taken against any protesting student involved in the disruption.

Another incident mentioned in the complaint occurred in April 2024 when a group allegedly surrounded Shabot and her friends while they were speaking Hebrew, forcing them out of the University Center as a security guard stood by without intervening. Shabot’s workspace was also reportedly vandalized, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit cites a troubling encounter in fall 2024 when a protester threw a bottle near Shabot’s head, narrowly missing her. Throughout these experiences, Shabot reportedly filed numerous complaints about the harassment and vandalism to professors, campus security, and other university authorities, often providing photographic evidence.

Following an incident, Shabot reached out via email to over 20 administrators, yet only received replies from two, both suggesting that she seek therapy.

The complaint further criticizes The New School for allegedly supporting some protesters. The Lawfare Project claims that the former president of the university gave participants in an unauthorized protest $300 for dinner and publicly endorsed them, even posing for a photo with a student accused of spitting on Shabot.

When protesters blocked Jewish students from entering the University Center, instead of removing the obstruction, the university proposed an alternative entrance to the Jewish students.

The Lawfare Project indicates that Shabot suffered from increased anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia as a result of her experiences, which also affected her academic performance and her ability to utilize necessary studio equipment.

“On this significant anniversary of October 7, which marks the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, pro-Hamas demonstrations have taken place across the nation, including at universities, to commemorate the tragedy,” noted Brooke Goldstein, the founder and executive director of The Lawfare Project.

Goldstein emphasized that the wave of hatred unleashed on that particular day has disproportionately affected Jewish students, like Shabot, who often find themselves in hostile environments. He stated that the lawsuit is a response to the rising antisemitism on college campuses and to The New School’s failure to protect its Jewish students.

He reassured that the organization will persist in advocating for Jewish students’ rights and ensuring those rights are respected.

Ziporah Reich, the director of litigation at The Lawfare Project and the attorney who filed the lawsuit, said that the institution has a legal duty to maintain a discrimination-free educational setting for Shabot.

“Instead of fulfilling this duty, they turned a blind eye while she faced severe verbal and physical assaults, exclusion, and vandalism—all simply for being Jewish,” Reich explained.

“Rather than standing by Sophie, the administration favored those who targeted her, leaving her to face the fallout,” she added. “It’s unacceptable for the burden of discrimination to fall on the victim. By pursuing this lawsuit, we aim to hold The New School accountable.”

Shabot expressed her motivation for filing the lawsuit is to compel the university to take responsibility and reevaluate its treatment of Jewish students.

“I am pursuing this lawsuit because what I went through should not happen without consequences,” Shabot shared. “By voicing my experiences, I hope to push The New School to confront its failures, change its approach when Jewish students are victimized, and ensure that no one else has to endure what I did.”

The lawsuit includes claims under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York Civil Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, and the New York General Business Law, along with allegations of breach of contract and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Shabot is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, statutory penalties, legal fees, costs, and other appropriate relief, and has requested a jury trial.

The Lawfare Project mentions that this case follows several others they have won or settled, which led to meaningful changes on U.S. college campuses.

This lawsuit arises amid the Department of Education announcing that recently released data indicates Jewish students are often the primary targets for religion-based bullying. On the anniversary of the October 7 tragedy, the Department called on educators and administrators to uphold civil rights protections to ensure a safe learning atmosphere for every student.

The New School has previously faced scrutiny for its handling of antisemitism on its campus.

In November 2016, swastikas were discovered on dorm room doors at Kerrey Hall. One student, Sam Lichtenstein, who had three Jewish roommates, recalled feeling devastated upon seeing one drawn on her door, describing it as “heartbreaking.”

In November 2017, Morton A. Klein, then-president of the Zionist Organization of America, criticized The New School for holding an event called “Antisemitism and the Struggle for Justice,” which featured speakers known for their anti-Israel sentiments.

He described some of the views expressed by the speakers as troubling and criticized the university for choosing them for a panel addressing antisemitism.

In another separate incident, professor Susan Shapiro voiced her disappointment that The New School sponsored the event, labeling one of the speakers a “hatemonger” and suggesting a double standard in how anti-Israel rhetoric is viewed compared to similar statements about other groups.