An alleged retaliatory dismissal stood at the center of suit
The reinstatement of a Jewish student at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences was announced this past week by The Lawfare Project, a decade-old non-profit pro-bono Manhattan-based legal service that aims to protect the civil and human rights of the international Jewish community. Upon a recent dismissal from the school’s Physician Assistant program, the student alleged that her removal from the program was done in retaliation for reporting anti-Semitic comments routinely posted by one of her professors from within the classroom.
“The recent decision by SUNY to allow our client to be reinstated is the correct action,” said Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. “We urge any Jewish student, faculty, or staff member at SUNY or other universities to reach out to us if they feel that they are the victims of anti-Semitic discrimination.”
The student enrolled in the SUNY Downstate Physician Assistant 27-month program starting in May 2022. During her time in the program, she witnessed multiple instances of anti-Semitic comments by her professor. Her complaints were summarily dismissed, and a campaign of discrimination and retaliation was launched against her.
“Our client courageously appealed her dismissal to continue pursuing her education,” said Ziporah Reich, Director of Litigation at The Lawfare Project. “We will remain by her side and monitor the environment at SUNY to ensure that any acts of discrimination or retaliation against her are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner.”
