Jewish Law Student Sues Rutgers University Over Campus Antisemitism

Yoel Ackerman, a first-year law student at Rutgers University, alleges that the institution is punishing him for speaking out against antisemitic content being circulated on campus. The controversy arose when Ackerman reported antisemitic posts made or shared by fellow students to the Jewish Law School Association. In response, Rutgers University accused Ackerman of 'doxxing' the students and labeled him with charges of defamation and disorderly conduct. Ackerman claims that he was merely attempting to protect fellow Jewish students from what he perceived as harassment and intimidation.

The lawsuit further details an incident where, 5 days after the October 7th attacks, another Rutgers law student shared a video containing statements that denied the occurrences of the event. This video, which questioned the atrocities of October 7th and spread vile antisemitic rhetoric, elicited a strong objection from Ackerman, who sent the video to the JLSA for the purpose of safeguarding the Jewish community. Nonetheless, Rutgers Law School brought charges against Ackerman for his response to what he deemed as hate speech.

Furthermore, Ackerman points out that there are several professors at Rutgers who have posted content on social media that is offensive to Jewish people. He claims that the university's tolerance for antisemitism has led to the unjust prosecution of a student for objecting to such propaganda, prompting the U.S. Department of Education to launch an investigation.

In response to the university's allegations of 'doxxing,' Ackerman asserts that reporting publicly shared content is not equivalent to exposing personal information and that he was within his rights to express concerns about the antisemitic material. Ackerman also calls out the double standards, claiming that Rutgers University would not tolerate hateful posts directed towards any other group, and alleges that its Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has perpetuated antisemitism.

A former RU alumnus adds to these claims, vowing to withhold support from the university until substantial changes are made, while others express their support for the lawsuit and emphasize the need for legal and financial consequences to address campus antisemitism.