Why I Am Suing Harvard

In a poignant moment captured in Helen Mirren's portrayal of Golda Meir, Israel's first female Prime Minister, Meir recounted to US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger the harrowing experiences of growing up Jewish in Ukraine:

“My father would board up the windows of our house to protect us from Cossacks who would get drunk and attack Jews. My father would hide us in the cellar… My father’s face, Henry, I will never forget that look. All he wanted to do was to protect his children. I am not that little girl hiding in the cellar!”

While the circumstances faced by American Jewry today do not mirror the brutal pogroms of Eastern Europe, one thing has remained constant throughout Jewish history: experiencing antisemitism.

Since Hamas’s brutal terror attack on October 7th, culminating in the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, there has been an onslaught of antisemitic incidents across the world, and in particular, in institutions of higher learning.

Rather than act as beacons of intellectual rigor and debate, too many universities have become engaged with, and have often promoted, vitriolic hatred towards Jewish people.

To that end, I, along with five other classmates, have filed a lawsuit against one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the United States – Harvard University. This legal action signifies a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle against antisemitism, challenging its presence even within the hallowed halls of academia.

Our decision to pursue legal recourse against Harvard is not taken lightly. It is a response to a deeply ingrained issue that goes beyond mere disagreements or differences of opinion. The plaintiffs, me being one of them, argue that Harvard has allowed an atmosphere of antisemitism to fester within its academic community, creating an environment that is hostile to Jewish students. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay exacerbated the already-existing climate of hatred towards Jews. Indeed, we plaintiffs are from a broad coalition, representing different schools, departments, and areas of study at Harvard, further underscoring how widespread the problem has become.

We hope that this lawsuit gives a voice to all those who have been on the receiving end of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination.

Be it professors who cancel classes to encourage students to demand Palestine be freed “from the river to the sea,” being yelled to “globalize the intifada” on my way to classrooms, the drawing of swastikas across campus, Harvard’s unwillingness to discipline students immersed in hate or the many other offenses alleged in our lawsuit, we hope that this lawsuit gives a voice to all those who have been on the receiving end of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination.

Shabbos Kestenbaum

One striking example that stands out is the continued employment of Harvard Professor Marshall Ganz. Three Jewish Israeli students enrolled in his Organizing: People, Power, Change course, decided to create a presentation centered around uniting factions within Israeli society. The professor repeatedly insisted they change their presentation, taking issue with the phrase “Jewish democracy,” and compared the project to white supremacy. Ganz went even further and threatened unspecified “consequences” if the Jewish students would not acquiesce to his demands. Although Professor Ganz was found to have intentionally discriminated against three Jewish Israeli students, he has not only retained a teaching position, but Harvard recently published a glowing online article, praising the professor’s work in organizing and civil rights.

This lawsuit forces Harvard to not only be held to account for its actions, but also calls for introspection and action, urging universities to fulfill their legal obligations of equal protection, as well as actively foster an inclusive and respectful environment for all students, regardless of their religious or ethnic background. Specifically, the lawsuit calls on Harvard to enforce its school policies in taking action against students who violate the school code of conduct and fulfill its legal obligations and federal mandates under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Antisemitism, in its various forms, has a long and painful history. From the ghettos of medieval Europe to the horrors of the Holocaust, Jews have faced discrimination, persecution, and violence. The resilience of the Jewish people has been tested time and again, yet the fight against antisemitism continues to be an uphill battle.

Those of us taking a stand against Harvard's alleged antisemitism are a reminder that the fight for justice and equality is a collective effort, transcending individual experiences to create a better future for all.

As Jewish people, we must remain steadfast; we are not that little girl hiding in the cellar.