A Jewish student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas has filed a lawsuit against the school, its president and the Students for Justice of Palestine UNLV, the National Students for Justice of Palestine (NSJP) and others claiming that his civil rights have been violated due to antisemitic protests and actions on campus.
The suit was brought on behalf of Corey Gerwaski, who is described in the lawsuit as a “devout Jew” who wears a kippah and is “firm in his Jewish beliefs and ideology.” The suit lays out myriad of instances of antisemitism and anti-Israel actions on campus, and claims the school is not doing enough to stop them.
A member of the school’s student government, the lawsuit claims that Gerwaski was verbally attacked by other members of the student government as many of them are “pro-Palestine.”
“This blatant antisemitism has created an environment where he has struggled academically, failing two classes due to the stress, and has been effectively exiled from the Senate chambers because of his Jewish identity,” the lawsuit states.
Gerwaski says in the lawsuit that his right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the US constitution, as well as his civil rights, were violated as a result of unchecked antisemitism on campus especially after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
The suit also alleges defendants are in violation of Anti-Terrorism Act, claiming that they are acting as a propaganda arm of Hamas. The lawsuit points to a “NSJP Toolkit,” in which some of the defendants “confirm” that their “propaganda and incitement activities support Hamas.”
The suit seeks to stop SJP and the NSJP from operating on the UNLV campus and asks for financial compensation due to the harassment and treatment Gerwaski says he was subject to.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court, Nevada.
A rally against antisemitism at the school was held earlier this month, and, according to local media, the school responded by saying in part that it “soundly rejects antisemitism and Islamophobia.”
