Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Harvard sued over discrimination and antisemitism

Transcript

Harvard sued over discrimination and antisemitism · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. And a
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: brief note, Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, is now available
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: at clockworkmedia.org.ma. According to reporting by jpost.com and thecrimson.com, a
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: former Harvard University finance administrator, Daniel Lilienthal, has filed a
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: federal lawsuit alleging religious discrimination in and anti-Semitic retaliation. Lilienthal
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: claims he faced heightened scrutiny and termination shortly after taking
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: paid time off to observe Rosh Hashanah in October 2024.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: His lawsuit alleges his supervisor, Jackie Blake, approved his leave
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: but then contacted Human Resources on the first day of
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: his holiday, and upon his return, raised performance concerns. Lilienthal
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: was terminated soon after, with the lawsuit calling the stated
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: reasons pretextual. He is suing Harvard under title V.I.I. of
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: the Civil Rights Act and New York state law, seeking damages.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: The Crimson.com notes the lawsuit ties his firing to Harvard's
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: broader history of alleged anti-Semitism. In Ireland, a Dublin hotel
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: reportedly cancelled a block booking of 70 rooms for delegates
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: attending an international conference on combating anti-Semitism, according to reporting
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: by Unitnews.com, Vinus.com and Timesafisrel.com. The Jewish Representative Council of
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Ireland disclosed that the Herbert Park Hotel allegedly withdrew the
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: booking after learning the purpose of the gathering and questioning
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: any connection to the IDF. No public explanation has been
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: provided for the cancellation. Reporting from BroadenedLiberty.com details a significant
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: increase in antisemitic incidents in Pennsylvania's K-12 schools, with the
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: state ranking fifth nationally for such occurrences. The article notes
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: incidents including graffiti calling for Jews to die, threatening text messages,
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: and a child having a Star of David ripped from
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: their neck at a football game. The Anti-Defamation League and
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: the Jewish Community Relations Council highlighted concerns about inflammatory materials
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: used by educators and rhetoric at demonstrations. First Things examined
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: allegations against podcaster Candace Owens, detailing claims of Holocaust denial
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: and propagation of false narratives about Jewish people. The article
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: juxtaposes these past statements with her recent conversion to Catholicism.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: World Socialist website reported on a physical assault at a
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Trump rally in Ohio, where a woman protesting the release
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: of Epstein files was attacked by multiple supporters. Video shows
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: her being beaten and removed by police amid crowd chants
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: of USA, USA, USA. President Trump reportedly identified the protester
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: as a paid protester. Inside Higher Ed noted criticism from
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, regarding
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: New York University's record on free speech. The organization points
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: to NYU's 2020 adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: arguing it chills speech by broadly defining political opinions as
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: prohibited discrimination and restricting criticism of Zionism. According to JTA,
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Democratic Senator John Ossoff and Republican challenger Mike Collins clashed
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: during a Georgia Senate debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: accusations of white nationalism. Ossoff, who is Jewish, defended Israel's
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: right to combat Hamas while stressing international law. Collins has
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: faced accusations of ties to white nationalism. Haaretz.com also reported
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: that Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton is facing scrutiny over
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: alleged anti-Semitic views and white nationalist connections. Reporting from Haaretz.com
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: and Vinnues.com detailed clashes in the New York gubernatorial debate
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: between Governor Kathy Hochul and challenger Bruce Blakeman. Blakeman invoked
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: the 1991 Crown Heights riots to question protection for Jewish
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: New Yorkers under current city leadership, referencing Mayor Zoran Mamdani.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Governor Hochul accused Blakeman of undermining public confidence in the NYPD.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: making antisemitism and Jewish community safety central to the exchange.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: JTA reported that U.S. Jewish educators cancelled a planned study
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy, due to alleged antisemitic pressure
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: and scrutiny of their personal profiles by pro-Palestinian activists. The
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: educators' organizers cited safety concerns amid agitation for participants to
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: formally distance themselves from Israel's actions in Gaza and the
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: West Bank. According to reporting from Israeltade.coil, a Greek minister
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: dismissed anti-Israel protests as antisemitic propaganda. Amidst support for Jerusalem
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: in a budding Mediterranean alliance and ahead of the launch
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: of an Israel caucus in the Greek parliament, ADL.org announced
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: that the ADL and Gratz College are launching a free,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: self-paced online training program for higher education professionals to recognize
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: and respond to contemporary antisemitism on campuses. JPost.com reported that
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: the J7 coalition, representing major Jewish organizations from the United States,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Australia and Argentina, held a
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: summit in London and Dublin to coordinate strategies against rising
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: global antisemitism. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey,
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: Connecticut and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch. midatlantic
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: app so you don't miss the next update. This report
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources.