A federal lawsuit has been brought against Chapman University, California, for failing to protect Jewish students from prolonged antisemitic harassment and discrimination, including death threats, abusive language, and the use of a dead animal to intimidate.
The case – viewed by The Jerusalem Post – centers on alleged Title VI violations of the Civil Rights Act as well as federal violations regarding two Jewish students specifically at Chapman University, which is a private, nonprofit academic institution in Orange County. Jews constitute about 10% of the student body.
There are two plaintiffs, both of whom claim discrimination on the grounds of Jewish religion, race, and national origin.
The first is Eli Schechter, a 2024 graduate who served as the president of Chapman’s Students Supporting Israel (SSI) chapter during the 2023-2024 school year. The second is Israeli-American Talya Malka, also a 2024 graduate. Representing both is the National Jewish Advocacy Center.
According to the lawsuit, following Hamas’s October 7 massacre, Jewish students at Chapman University were subjected to a “campaign of harassment lasting for the entire duration of the 2023-2024 school year, enacted with Chapman’s direct approval.”
Throughout the academic year, Schechter remained in frequent contact with Chapman’s Dean of Students, Dr. Jerry Price, and then-president Dr. Daniele Struppa, providing them with a paper trail of incidents. As such, the suit argues that Chapman’s administrators knew about the harassment and discrimination but permitted it despite Schechter’s “near daily pleas on behalf of Chapman’s Jewish community for respite.”
Details of harassment, discrimination
Almost immediately after the October 7 massacre, Jewish students and organizations erected a memorial to the victims, which was soon desecrated by members of Chapman’s branch of Students for Justice in Palestine. As maintained by the lawsuit, SJP did not desecrate displays erected by non-Jewish student groups, and for the duration of the school year, SJP targeted only Jewish student organizations.
Case in point, the suit contends, on October 9, 2023, SJP member Ismail Khader posted an Instagram story of a large Palestinian flag hanging above a group of small Israeli flags at the memorial in an act of ethnic intimidation and domination.
He also posted a story on Instagram of himself ripping the Israeli flags out of the ground. Schechter immediately requested assistance from management. That same day, Khader also yelled “fu*k Jews” to a group of Jewish students mourning on October 7.
Per the lawsuit, Price proceeded to arrange a meeting between Khader and Jewish students, including Schechter, despite readily available evidence showcasing Khader’s clear animosity toward Jews, including liking posts on social media saying things like: “After the Nazis, y’all [should] be humble and kind to your neighbors.”
On October 17, Schechter and other Jewish students held an on-campus memorial for the October 7 victims. Price requested that the IDF flags be removed so as not to distract from the idea that civilians were being mourned. Despite disagreeing, Schechter conceded to removing the flags after the meeting with Khader had been held, if requested.
However, on October 18, Price told Schechter that the IDF flag was “upsetting Palestinian students” and asked it be removed sooner. As a gesture of good faith, Schechter agreed.
The good faith gesture, however, was not reciprocated, according to the suit. In the following days, SJP members continued to steal Israeli flags or put up anti-Israel leaflets on the poles of the memorial.
Schechter then asked to attend an event run by SJP in an attempt to “build bridges.” Alongside seven other Jewish students, one non-Jewish student with a Jewish-sounding last name, and a non-Jewish student with a clearly non-Jewish name, only the latter was granted tickets to the event.
Schechter reported to Price that SJP discriminated against students based on nothing more than having a Jewish-sounding last name.
The case argues that Price responded by saying, “It is reasonable for SJP-Chapman to limit its membership to students who support its mission... I have been provided the names of three Jewish students who have been extended invitations to tonight’s teach-in... SJP-Chapman confirmed that some RSVP requests were denied because they concluded that the individuals did not share the event’s objectives. I frankly cannot condone your right to attend this event.”
The lawsuit noted that this response in and of itself was problematic, as Price was expressing support for SJP’s stance of rejecting individuals based solely on their ethnicity or beliefs.
However, more problematic was that SJP assumed that all Jews were “ideologically” misaligned, absent prior evidence of disavowing Zionism. With the exception of Schechter, SJP had no reason to believe that any of the students with Jewish-sounding names supported Israel or held any other beliefs on the matter.
Schechter and a friend attempted to attend the SJP event nonetheless, but were actively barred by Price and Chapman security.
Jewish students received death threats from anti-Israel classmates
Regarding Malka’s experience as detailed in the litigation, on November 12, 2024, Khader posted on Instagram, “May Allah bring death to all Israelis who follow Zionism.”
In response, Malka sent Khader a direct message asking, “So you want me dead?” to which Khader responded, “... Fu*k yeah, I want you and all you Zionist trash bags dead, the fu*k kinda question is that?”
He then sent Malka a barrage of texts, such as, “Also, stop being a little girl trying to set me up and run over to Mr. Price,” and, “Zionism is terrorism, you are the Terrorist polluting this world with your fuc*ing lies.”
Malka reported this to Price and Struppa, noting, “I hope you all understand the threat and danger he holds. I really don’t feel safe on campus. The Jewish community does not feel safe on campus.” She also sent pictures of Khader handling weapons.
Chapman conducted a brief “threat assessment” on Khader and determined him to be a non-threat.
On February 12, 2024, Schechter and Malka filed a formal complaint with the HSS Office for Civil Rights based on Chapman’s lack of adequate action regarding Khader’s explicit death threat to Malka and Chapman’s endorsement of SJP.
The lawsuit includes multiple emails sent by Schechter and Malka to Price, pleading for support and an end to attacks, and informing him that this harassment violated the university’s code of conduct.
Notably, throughout that academic year, there were frequent pro-Palestinian marches during which protesters called to “globalize the intifada,” yet Price did not address this issue.
Then, on May 3, 2024, Malka discovered a dead squirrel and a brick outside her house, the squirrel having apparently been repeatedly smashed to death with the brick. At this time, it was widely known on campus that Schechter and Malka had initiated proceedings against Chapman at the Education Department and were demanding that the university ban SJP.
“Chapman so utterly failed to address the antisemitic hostile education environment it allowed to fester in the 2023-2024 school year, and indeed, on multiple occasions actively participated in it, that it instantly reemerged at the start of the 2024-2025 school year,” the lawsuit said.
The plaintiffs seek the prohibition of discrimination and compensatory damages.