The Lawfare Project filed a lawsuit against The New School on the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, alleging that a Jewish Israeli-American student endured relentless antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and physical assault while attending the New York university. The suit names Sophie Shabot, a student at the Parsons School of Design, as the plaintiff, with the legal group claiming she faced name-calling, obstruction, and violence based on her religion and support for Israel.
According to the lawsuit, Shabot was subjected to slurs including "Zio b***" and "baby killer" and was prevented from entering the University Center. The filing further alleges that in 2024, protesters vandalized and disrupted a Hillel event featuring an Israeli speaker. During that incident, Shabot and several other Jewish students were trapped in a dean's office while protesters attempted to force them to hand over the speaker.
Ziporah Reich, the Lawfare Project director of litigation who filed the suit, told Fox News Digital that university officials failed to stop the harassment and at times rewarded those responsible. Reich stated that the New School violated its Title VI obligations and other legal duties by not intervening to halt the antisemitic and anti-Israeli harassment. She argued that Jewish students frequently bear the consequences of antisemitic actions by other students, noting that schools often shut down Jewish events or relocate them to smaller spaces when facing pro-Hamas protests, effectively punishing the targets of harassment rather than the offenders.
Reich emphasized the timing of the filing on the anniversary of the attacks, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and led to more than 250 abductions. She said the harassment of Jewish students has continued since October 7 and remains in a quiet period where it can resurface at any time. The legal team described the students involved in these incidents as activists without a cause.
The lawsuit brings claims under Title VI, New York state and city civil and human rights laws, as well as claims for breach of contract and negligent infliction of emotional distress. It seeks damages, statutory penalties, attorneys' fees, costs, and other relief, while demanding a jury trial.
The New School's Parsons School of Design has faced similar legal challenges. In 2025, the Dhillon Law Group sued the school on behalf of graduate Brandon White, who alleged that the institution opened a disciplinary investigation against him after he reported harassment incidents, while his assailants faced no retaliation. Additionally, in 2024, anti-Israel protesters occupied the Welcome Center in Manhattan to demand a board vote on divesting from companies supporting Israel, coinciding with two on-campus encampments led by students and faculty respectively. Fox News Digital reached out to The New School for comment but did not immediately receive a response.