Jewish graduate student forced to quit MIT PhD program after university allowed professor to target and harass him with antisemitic attacks, according to a shocking new lawsuit.
Key Takeaways
- A lawsuit filed against MIT claims the university has become a “breeding ground” for antisemitism, with administrators failing to address numerous incidents following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel
- MIT professor Michel DeGraff is specifically named in the suit for allegedly harassing Jewish students and faculty, including mathematics instructor Lior Alon and former PhD student William Sussman
- The 71-page complaint details how Sussman was forced to abandon his doctoral studies after becoming a target of DeGraff’s social media attacks
- The Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which previously secured a settlement with Harvard University over similar issues, is representing the plaintiffs in this case
MIT Faces Serious Allegations of Fostering Antisemitism
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is facing a federal lawsuit accusing the prestigious institution of allowing antisemitism to flourish unchecked on its campus. Filed by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and White & Case LLP in the US District Court for Massachusetts, the lawsuit alleges that MIT President Sally Kornbluth failed to take meaningful action against antisemitic incidents following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial to hold the university accountable for what they describe as a systematic failure to protect Jewish students and faculty.
“In the absence of moral leadership and meaningful action, the MIT campus was turned into a breeding ground of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli hate and hostility that emboldened students and professors to harass and discriminate against Jews and Israelis without restraint,” states the lawsuit filed against MIT.
The complaint cites numerous disturbing incidents, including campus protests advocating violence against Jews, celebrations of the Hamas attack, and targeted harassment of Jewish and Israeli students. According to the lawsuit, these incidents created an environment so hostile that some Jewish students felt compelled to conceal their identities or abandon their studies entirely. Most shocking among the allegations are those directed at linguistics professor Michel DeGraff, who is accused of personally targeting Jewish community members with harassment and defamation.
Professor’s Alleged Harassment Forces Student to Abandon PhD
William Sussman, a former PhD student at MIT and one of the plaintiffs in the case, claims he was forced to leave the doctoral program after becoming a target of Professor DeGraff’s harassment. The lawsuit details how DeGraff allegedly posted messages about Sussman on social media, creating an untenable environment that ultimately drove him from the university. Similarly, mathematics instructor Lior Alon claims DeGraff targeted him on social media, compromising both his professional opportunities and personal safety through what amounts to doxxing.
“Not only were several anti-Semitic incidents conducted at the hands of a professor, but MIT’s administration refused to take action on every single occasion. The very people who are tasked with protecting students are not only failing them, but are the ones attacking them,” said Kenneth Marcus from the Brandeis Center.
According to the lawsuit, when complaints were brought to MIT’s administration about DeGraff’s behavior, an internal investigation concluded his actions did not constitute antisemitic conduct – a finding vehemently contested by the plaintiffs. The university has since removed DeGraff from the linguistics faculty and designated him as “faculty at large,” reportedly due to his public attacks on the university itself rather than his alleged harassment of Jewish community members.
Legal Consequences and Broader Implications
The 71-page complaint alleges that MIT violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to address the hostile environment faced by Jewish students and faculty. This legal strategy mirrors the approach taken by the Brandeis Center in previous successful actions against other universities, including a recent settlement with Harvard University that led to the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.
“MIT administrators knowingly failed to take action to eliminate the hostile climate and discrimination against them or to stop the retaliation, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Individual Plaintiffs were also subjected to outrageous and wrongful conduct that has resulted in severe emotional distress and extreme anxiety and anguish. The Individual Plaintiffs were also defamed by a MIT professor,” states the complaint filed against MIT.
The lawsuit comes amid growing concerns about antisemitism on college campuses nationwide, particularly following the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. With plaintiffs claiming they suffered severe emotional distress and defamation, the case represents more than just individual grievances – it raises fundamental questions about the responsibility of academic institutions to ensure all students can pursue their education free from discrimination and harassment based on their religious or ethnic identity.
“In order to eradicate hate from campuses, we must hold faculty and the university administration responsible for their participation in —and in this case, their proliferation of — anti-Semitism and abuse,” said Kenneth Marcus from the Brandeis Center.
