Bergen student sues Rutgers over antisemitism, saying she was bullied for defending Israel

A Jewish student from Bergen County has sued Rutgers University, alleging she was harassed in her dorm after she attended a pro-Israel event.

Rebecca "Rivka" Schafer, 19, said she suffered other instances of antisemitism at Rutgers' New Brunswick campus, where students set up an encampment in recent weeks to protest the military campaign in Gaza and the university's ties to Israel.

The suit, filed Thursday in state Superior Court, seeks unspecified monetary damages from Rutgers, which Schafer accuses of discrimination and allowing a hostile environment against Jewish students to fester.

"For years, Rutgers’ Jewish students have reported incidents and concerns to Rutgers; yet Rutgers continues to tolerate faculty members, guest speakers, groups, students and student organizations that legitimize or endorse antisemitic expression and actions," the lawsuit says.

According to the suit, Rivka was targeted by fellow students after she went to an event intended to rally support for Israel this spring. That came amid a nonbinding student referendum on whether Rutgers should divest its endowment from companies with ties to "the government of Israel's human rights violations."

Two days later, on March 28, Rivka found fliers with her photo posted throughout her dormitory, the lawsuit says. The picture was accompanied by the messages "Free Palestine" and "Free Gaza" and urged students to vote in favor of the Rutgers boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) student referendum proposal.

"The message to Rivka and her peers was clear," the suit says. "Don't support Israel, we know where you sleep."

The goal was to "harass, intimidate and bully Jewish students, to create a hostile school environment for Jewish students and to suppress the vote of Jewish students, including Schafer," the complaint says.

The suit faults Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway for allowing the divestment vote to go forward. Holloway was warned by Jewish students that it would stoke antisemitism, the lawsuit says.

It cites another incident that allegedly occurred a week after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage. At a meeting in the dorm, another student "expressed appreciation that there was a large death toll in Israel." The comment earned appreciative snaps from other participants, who were "extremely aggressive" in their commentary about Israel, the lawsuit says.

"As a result of this conduct by her fellow dorm residents, Schafer left the meeting scared and shaking," it says.

More: Rutgers University president defends decision to negotiate with student protesters

In an email Thursday, Rutgers spokeswoman Dory Devlin said the university doesn't comment on pending litigation. But she pointed to a statement last week in which the school noted that two students had been charged with harassment for "the unauthorized use of a student’s image on posters placed in their residence hall."

"At Rutgers we abhor antisemitism and all forms of intolerance based on religion, national origin, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or political views," Devlin added in Thursday's statement. "When bias incidents are reported, we investigate them fully and take appropriate action, including working with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies when situations warrant to pursue thorough investigations and ensure the safety of Rutgers community members."

Rutgers has already come under fire for its decision to negotiate with student protesters, which the school says led to a peaceful end to the encampment but which critics called capitulation. Holloway this week was called to appear before a U.S. House Committee investigating antisemitism on campuses. He is scheduled to testify on May 23.

On Thursday, two New Jersey congressmen also questioned whether the school has acted too slowly to address the concerns of Jewish students. U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross and Josh Gottheimer, both Democrats, released a letter to the university demanding more information on how Rutgers responded to requests by a group of Jewish community members in December to improve safety. They contrasted that with Rutgers' agreement with campus protesters last week.

"We fear that Rutgers appears to have incentivized people to act in a lawless and threatening manner by appeasing the demands of violent and hateful agitators while ignoring an analogous set of requests made peacefully to the university" by another group, the congressmen said.

Schafer's lawsuit says that during the encampment on May 2, the freshman was taunted by other students, who said, "Hitler would have loved you." And on May 3, it alleges, Rutgers prevented Rivka and other Jewish students from hosting an end-of-the-year barbecue on campus while allowing the encampments to continue.

This is not the first time a Jewish Rutgers student is suing the university over antisemitism. In January, Rutgers law student Yoel Ackerman brought a lawsuit saying he had been subjected to discrimination due to antisemitism and that school leaders failed to protect him.

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Jewish student sues Rutgers, claims bullying for defending Israel