Jewish students SUE NYU saying school has ignored antisemitism as they've faced chants of 'gas the Jews' and 'Hitler was right'

Three students have sued NYU for failing to protect them against 'festering Jewish hatred permeating the school' that has accelerated amid the Israel-Hamas war. 

Jewish pupils Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi and Saul Tawil have accused their college of 'egregious civil rights violations' by allegedly allowing other students to chant anti-Semitic slogans like 'gas the Jews' and 'Hitler was right' without repercussions.  

Their lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, says the college has been giving 'mobs of students carte blanche to harass and intimidate NYU's Jewish population' through its 'actions and inactions' over the past month. 

It alleges 'the age-old virus of antisemitism is alive and well at New York University' and has grown worse after Hamas' horrific October 7 incursion into Israel brought tensions to a boiling point. 

Ingber, Maslavi and Tawil blasted the university for allegedly violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin. 

They say they tried to address their concerns, but administrators brushed them off and said they should call a hotline for students with 'emotional challenges.' 

NYU has contested their claims, telling DailyMail.com they 'do not accurately describe conditions on our campus,' and that it 'looks forward to setting the record straight' in court. 

But the plaintiffs say antisemitism has been a 'growing institutional problem' on American university campuses for decades - and NYU is 'among the worst.'

'This case arises from NYU's egregious civil rights violations that have created a hostile educational environment in which plaintiffs and other Jewish NYU students have been subjected to pervasive acts of hatred, discrimination, harassment, and intimidation,' the lawsuit reads.

'For years, NYU—acutely aware of ongoing and disgraceful acts of anti-Jewish bigotry—has reacted with, at best, deliberate indifference, refusing to enforce its own anti-discrimination and conduct policies that it readily applies to protect other targets of bigotry, and instead fostering an environment in which students and faculty members are permitted to repeatedly abuse, malign, vilify, and threaten Jewish students with impunity. 

'Regularly confronted with such genocidal chants as, 'Hitler was right,' 'gas the Jews,' 'death to kikes,' and 'from the river to the sea,' and other abuse, plaintiffs not only have been deprived of the ability and opportunity to fully and meaningfully participate in NYU's educational and other programs, but they have suffered and have been put at severe risk of extreme emotional and physical injury.'

Inger, Maslavi and Tawil say antisemitism on university campuses increased by 40 percent and that NYU has long been aware of the 'festering Jewish hatred permeating the school.' 

They claim the increase in alleged issue was allowed to happen because rather than implementing 'urgently needed protective and disciplinary measures to restore campus order and safety', administrators have 'gaslighted the Jewish students.' 

According to their lawsuit, college officials have insisted that Jewish students' fears have been 'exaggerated' and told them 'they should just call the Wellness Exchange, a hotline for students coping with emotional challenges'. 

In the wake of the terror attack and as Israel hit back with airstrikes on Gaza, NYU students clamored to support Palestine through mass protests. 

Many demonstrations turned toxic with anti-Semitic banners and chants making an appearance. A handful of youngsters even brandished signs saying 'keep the world clean' with an illustration of a trash can with the Star of David inside. 

The school has found itself in headlines for numerous incidents, including students removing posters plastered around campus for kidnapped Israeli victims. 

Another incident was when Ryna Workman, an NYU law student who was ousted as the bar association's president over a newsletter she wrote describing the Hamas attack as 'necessary.' NYU has said it's investigating the incident.

NYU spokesperson John Beckman has rejected the claims made in the lawsuit - saying in a statement sent to DailyMail.com the college takes all forms of hate 'extremely seriously.' 

'The assertions in this suit do not accurately describe conditions on our campus or the many steps NYU has been taking to fight antisemitism and keep the campus safe,' Beckman said. 

'Antisemitism violates our rules; we take the issues of antisemitism and any other forms of hate extremely seriously, and we are committed to safeguarding our community and providing an environment in which all students can live and learn in peace.' 

Beckman said the university was 'among the first in the US to publicly condemn Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel' and that it 'maintains what is arguably the largest academic presence in Israel of any major US university' through its Tel Aviv program.

He added NYU has 'communicated repeatedly to our community about our efforts to ensure safety,' including increased Campus Safety Officer and NYPD presence. 

The university has also let students known 'about expectations for proper conduct' and about 'the fact antisemitism violates our rules and transgressors will face discipline', according to the statement. 

It has 'promptly reviewed and opened investigations into reported complaints of antisemitism and related misconduct'. 

'NYU looks forward to setting the record straight, to challenging this lawsuit's one-sided narrative, to making clear the many efforts NYU has made to combat antisemitism and provide a safe environment for Jewish students and non-Jewish students, and to prevailing in court,' Beckman said. 

The three students say NYU has not followed its procedures to stop discrimination and when they enrolled, they fully expected to be able to express their identity and ancestry. 

The lawsuit asks a judge to force NYU to protect the students, including firing deans and administrators responsible for the alleged atmosphere. They also ask for an unspecified amount of money.