Four years after an undergraduate student at Columbia University lodged a complaint of “severely pervasive and hostile environment” due to antisemitism, the US Department of Education has finally decided to open an investigation into these claims. Jonathan Karten, the student, first approached the Department in 2019, urging them to probe if the university’s actions were in violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that prevents discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. While Karten was interviewed by investigators in 2020, the Department did not take any formal action, according to his lawyer.
The persistent complaints about antisemitism saw an increase following the HMAC attack on Israel on October 7, following which Karten’s lawyers revisited the Department with their pleas. The vindication Karten sought was partially received this month when the Education Department finally announced investigations under Title VI probes into possible discrimination based on antisemitism or Islamophobia at multiple universities including Columbia University, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Wellesley College, Cooper Union, Lafayette College, and University of Tampa. Karten’s attorney Gerard Filitti, who works for the Lawfare Project, claims that the events subsequent to October 7 could have been avoided had the department investigated the issue three years ago.
With regards to the complaint, Filitti approached the Education Department again on October 31, suggesting that the current events at Columbia were a reflection of Karten’s complaint. The departmental website of the Office of Civil Rights confirms that it began two probes into discrimination involving shared ancestry at Columbia in mid-November 2021. The university corroborated its investigation into Karten’s complaint in a letter to Filitti on November 20.
It has also been observed that since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war, leadership at major universities such as Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia have been criticized by alumni and students for incidents of antisemitism. In response, these institutions have set up antisemitism task forces. A recent poll by Hillel International reveals that over half the Jewish students in US colleges feel less secure on their campuses since the Hamas attack. Columbia has declared cooperation with the Education Department investigation, with Columbia spokesman Ben Chang making assurances of robust measures against antisemitism.
The Education Department, under Title VI, has the authority to probe complaints at schools that receive federal funding, and can theoretically cut off that source if the complaint is proven to be true. However, it has been observed that a usual resolution may seek to enhance a school’s policies and training, as was witnessed at the University of Vermont in April, following complaints of antisemitism. Coordinately, Filitti intends Columbia to adopt similar policies aimed at eliminating the discrimination as faced by Karten. Upon violation, he argued, the university should discipline the harassers and evict student organizations involved in systemic discrimination and targeting of minority Jewish students.
Upon graduation, Karten started a consulting business in Israel.
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