politics
Judge Strikes Historical Allegations from CUNY Anti-Semitism Lawsuit
A federal judge granted a motion to strike paragraphs detailing the history of the Jewish people and the establishment of Israel from a lawsuit filed by an Israeli professor at City University of New York. The plaintiff alleges religious and national origin discrimination after complaining about a campus program.
May 11, 3:19 PM·2m read1 source
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A judge granted a motion to strike paragraphs 34 through 46 from the third amended complaint in a lawsuit filed against City University of New York. The paragraphs outlined the historical origins of the state of Israel beginning in Biblical times and continuing through events in the Roman empire to the present day. Plaintiff Avraham Goldstein filed the complaint on January 9, 2026.
He is employed as an assistant professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. " Goldstein asserts claims for religious and national origin discrimination and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York Civil Rights Law, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for alleged violations of due process and equal protection.
He identifies as an Israeli citizen, an Orthodox Jew, and a Zionist. The court evaluated the motion under Rule 12(f), which permits striking material that is redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous. The decision stated that evidence regarding the history of the Jewish state, including events from several thousand years ago, has no bearing on whether the plaintiff was subject to discrimination or retaliation on the basis of his nationality or religion.
"Requiring Defendant to either admit or deny allegations regarding historical events that took place in 136 C.E. would serve no purpose," the decision said. The court added that certain paragraphs contained controverted and charged contentions regarding the creation of separate Israeli and Palestinian states, and requiring a response would be prejudicial.
The struck material began with statements that the Jewish people originated in the Middle East and established their homeland in the Biblical Land of Israel. " The text continued through the period of foreign empires, the rise of Zionism in the 1800s, the British Mandate after World War I, the 1947 United Nations partition plan, Israel's declaration of independence in 1948, and the subsequent war.
