The “repeated failure to combat the escalating wave of Jew-hatred” on the Manhattan campus of Hunter College has forced the chair of the school’s Jewish studies department into filing suit against the institution.
The federal suit, filed pro bono by the Lawfare Project and the Manhattan law firm of Alston & Bird, claims Dr. Leah Garrett has suffered emotional distress, including panic attacks, extreme anxiety, nightmares and fears for her safety, for fighting to protect the rights of herself, other faculty and students at Hunter, part of the City University of New York (CUNY).
The suit alleges the college “allowed antisemitism to fester, subjecting Plaintiff to relentless hostility and unequal treatment.”
The complaint was filed in the Southern District of New York federal court and alleges that Hunter’s actions are both in violation of federal civil rights law and constitute a breach of contract. It is requesting financial compensation and injunctive relief to force Hunter to address the hostile atmosphere.
“We have a plaintiff severely aggrieved by the conduct of CUNY Hunter and an administration showing complete indifference to her concerns,” said Michael Hefter, a partner at Alston & Bird who is co-counsel for the suit along with Ziporah Reich, director of litigation for Lawfare, which enforces and protects the civil and human rights of Jews via strategic legal actions.
During a virtual interview they outlined an atmosphere that had become so frightening that by the end of the previous year Garrett had removed her name from the front of her office (as have other Jewish faculty members), wore a cap pulled down over her forehead to avoid being recognized while walking around campus and avoided wearing a Star of David necklace. Reich said that Garrett, a prolific author, is currently on sabbatical but is too afraid to come in person to her office to do needed research.
Garrett is the inaugural Larry A. and Klara Silverstein Chair in Jewish Studies and director of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Hunter as well as the author of five books on literature and history, as well as numerous essays and articles.
“She was not only subjected to a hostile environment herself but was forced to defend Jewish students because the office charged to do that simply was not doing it,” said Reich. “That was part of the problem.”
The suit claims the college Office of Diversity and Compliance ignored dozens of reports documenting incidents of antisemitism, refusing to collaborate with Garrett or take action to halt them.
Garrett became “overwhelmed” by pleas from others for assistance, forcing her to devote significant time to help them in addition to her professional duties, which is beyond the scope of her duties as outlined in her contract.
“CUNY Hunter has a long history of antisemitism,” said Reich. “It didn’t just start on October 7.”
An independent investigation in 2016 found widespread antisemitism, with demonstrators at Hunter openly chanting “Death to Jews” and “Jews out of CUNY,” with those behind the hateful messaging receiving no consequences.
After the terrorist attack on Israel and resulting Gaza war an investigation was launched by the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights while another ordered by Gov. Kathy Hochul found Hunter failed to take adequate action to address antisemitism.
Garrett continually had to navigate her way through protesters not following college rules “pretty much every time” she came to the college, encountering “hostile” crowds of protesters in the building’s lobby who made it almost impossible to navigate the space as they blocked escalators and chanted threatening slogans, said Reich.
“Protesters displayed signs with disturbing and violent imagery, such as Jewish symbols dripping with blood, while demanding the expulsion of Zionists from CUNY Hunter,” reads the suit. “Using megaphones, the protesters often amplified their hateful rhetoric, which reverberated through classrooms, hallways, and offices, spreading an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that affected Plaintiff’s ability to work.”
Antisemitic stickers, posters and symbols were also plastered all over walls, left scattered on surfaces and were widely circulated on social media, often in violation of Hunter’s own policies.
Reich said in a particularly egregious incident swastikas were drawn on posters over the faces of Israeli hostages. When Garrett asked to have them taken down she was told, “It’s not that simple.” She said the posters remained up almost six hours and the college only removed them when Garrett threatened to take them down herself.
“By turning a blind eye to the antisemitic protests and hateful materials circulating on campus, CUNY Hunter signaled to students and faculty that they could harass Jews with impunity,” states the suit. “As a result, students and faculty targeted Plaintiff, whose Jewish and Zionist identity made her a visible figure on campus and a preferred target of their animosity.”
Garrett’s pleas to Hunter’s administrators to provide her with extra security so she could continue to host in-person classes and programs were ignored, forcing her to conduct programming virtually.
Reich said while lighting a menorah at Chanukah had been a tradition at Hunter for some years, this year the college refused Jewish requests, “essentially shutting down their freedom of expression.”
The suit contends the decision was made “presumably to avoid inflaming antisemitic students and faculty,” a move that “effectively punished the victims while empowering their oppressors.”
By contrast, when “anti-Israel” groups wanted to screen “Israelism,” which the suit labeled “virulently antisemitic,” Garrett warned the administration the film was inflammatory and would contribute to an already toxic environment. Instead, the president’s office not only allowed it, but agreed to sponsor the screening, which, in fact, further contributed to the antisemitism that had pervaded the campus.
The suit also alleges the administration has allowed the faculty senate to become a hotbed of antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred with no action to ameliorate the toxicity.
Gina Vergel, a spokesperson for Hunter College, said in a statement the college couldn’t comment on litigation, but noted, “Hunter College has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate of any kind, and we’re committed to fostering a safe and welcoming campus environment for everyone.”
For Hefter one the most appalling aspects of the case is Hunter administration’s twisting the problem to lay blame on Garrett, which made the situation even worse for her.
“They were the ones who created the hostile environment in the first place and it was hypocritical of them to use her as their so-called poster child,” he said. “We believe this is an important case for the entire Jewish community at Hunter, a place where we know the Jewish community had thrived for decades and decades. Some of its most noted alumni are Jewish people, so this case is important not only for the plaintiff, who has really been harmed, but for present and future Jewish students.”
Debra Rubin has had a long career in journalism writing for secular weekly and daily newspapers and Jewish publications. She most recently served as Middlesex/Monmouth bureau chief for the New Jersey Jewish News. She also worked with the media at several nonprofits, including serving as assistant public relations director of HIAS and assistant director of media relations at Yeshiva University.
