Sophie Shabot, a former student at the Parsons School of Design, has filed a federal lawsuit against The New School. She alleges the university failed to protect her from persistent antisemitic harassment and physical violence following the October 7, 2023, attacks .
From University Center blockades to a bottle thrown at Shabot's head
The legal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, details a series of escalating attacks against Sophie Shabot.. According to the report, Shabot was shoved and spat upon in December 2023 when protesters blocked her entry to the University Center, while non-Jewish students were permitted to pass. This pattern of hostility continued into April 2024, when Shabot and her peers were surrounded by a crowd for speaking Hebrew.
The violence reportedly peaked in late 2024 when a bottle was thrown at Sophie Shabot's head, missing her by only a few inches. The lawsuit also describes a March 2024 incident where a Hillel event space was seized and vandalized, resulting in students being trapped in a dean's office for twenty minutes while protesters pounded on the doors. The complaint further alleges that a professor physically shoved a student who was attempting to guard the door during this confrontation.
The 20-administrator email chain and the suggestion of therapy
A central claim in the lawsuit is the alleged indifference of The New School's administration. sophie Shabot asserts that she provided photographic and video evidence of these attacks to the Office of the President, the Office of Student Conduct, and campus security. As the report says, Shabot emailed over twenty administrators regarding her safety, yet only two responded; both suggested she seek therapy rather than offreing security measures to stop the harassment.
The lawsuit alleges that instead of clearing blockades at the University Center to ensure equal access, The New School administration suggested that Jewish students simply use alternative entrances. This perceived negligence reportedly led to severe psychological distress for Sophie Shabot, including chronic insomnia and panic attacks, which she claims impaired her academic performance and her ability to use necessary design studios.
Presidential funding for unauthorized encampment dinners
The legal action, supported by Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and The Lawfare Project, alleges that The New School did more than just ignore the harassment. The complaint claims the university president provided funding for dinner to an unauthorized encampment and publicly praised the participants, some of whom were allegedly involved in the attacks against Sophie Shabot.
This allegation suggests a systemic bias within the institution's leadership. By providing financial support to protesters while allegedly ignoring the safety of Jewish students, the lawsuit argues that The New School created a hostile educational environment that violated its mandatory legal obligations to prevent discrimination.
The Lawfare Project's broader campaign against campus hostility
This case is part of a wider trend of legal challenges targeting higher education institutions over their handling of antisemitism. Brooke Goldstein, the founder of The Lawfare Project, has characterized the actions of The New School as a "shameful abdication of responsibility." The Lawfare Project argues that Jewish students across the United States are being left to suffer in hostile environments where hate speech is tolerated under the guise of protest.
The litigation serves as a critical test of how the U.S. court system defines the boundary between protected speech and the university's duty to ensure physical safety. Attorney Ziporah Reich emphasizes that the institution must be held accountable for permitting a culture of hate to flourish on campus.
The missing response from The New School's legal team
While the lawsuit provides a detailed account of Sophie Shabot's experiences, the current reporting lacks a formal response from The New School's administration or its legal representatives. It remains unclear whether the university disputes the specific claim regarding the funding of encampment dinners or the allegation that a professor physically assaulted a student.
Furthermore, the report does not specify which administrators suggested therapy to Shabot or provide the university's internal records regarding the reported security breaches at the University Center. until The New School files its response in the Southern District of New York, the narrative remains centered on the plaintiff's allegations.
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