Pro-Israel law firm is behind “antisemitism” complaints filed against American universities

12/28/2023 / By Ramon Tomey

A pro-Israel law firm appears to be the entity responsible for legal complaints accusing various U.S. universities of “harboring antisemitism” on their respective campuses.

Wyatt Reed of the Grayzone revealed the name of this firm as Kasowitz Benson Torres (KBT), which was known as Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman until 2017. The name change stemmed from the departure of senior partner David Friedman to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel under the Trump administration. Before his diplomatic appointment, Friedman met and represented former President Donald Trump in the latter’s capacity as the chairman and president of the Trump Organization.

According to Reed, KBT was best known for its work on behalf of Trump – with its leadership being described as “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s guys in the Trump White House.” In particular, Friedman has been credited with working alongside former Office of American Innovation Director Jared Kushner. The latter, who is the husband of presidential daughter Ivanka Trump, pressured the real estate mogul-turned-president into adopting more radically anti-Palestinian positions.

KBT was established in 1993 by founding attorney Marc Kasowitz, known for his representation of Big Tobacco. Over the years, the firm has had a reputation for representing notorious clients and companies in court.

In one example, KBT boasted of successfully defending Comcast (now Xfinity) against a class-action lawsuit by angry customers. In 2019, KBT signed on to represent the U.S.-based co-defendants of Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoysky in court. Kolomoysky was jailed in September for embezzling millions of dollars from the financial firm PrivatBank.

In November of this year, the Grayzone revealed a leaked letter signed by Friedman and delivered to administrators of New York University (NYU). The said letter demanded that the university establish a position dedicated to “combating antisemitism” and disband student clubs dedicated to Palestine activism – under threat of legal action.

This legal action came to fruition in the form of “flimsy and unprovable antisemitism allegations,” thrown at NYU to “extract heavy financial damages – including a full refund of tuition.” NYU student Bella Ingber, the co-president of the university’s Students Supporting Israel group, served as the leading face of this lawsuit filed by KBT.

Even the “victims” of this alleged “antisemitism” are part of the con

According to Reed, even the “Jewish students” victimized by this antisemitism on college campuses are part of the con. He pointed out that these individuals were connected to Israeli lobbyists, and sought to suppress pro-Palestine activism under the “antisemitism” disguise. (Related: THOU SHALT NOT CRITICIZE ISRAEL: Social media giants now CENSORING CONTENT that supports people of Gaza and opposes indiscriminate bombings by Israel.)

Reed noted that Ingber, Harvard Law School‘s Jonathan Frieden and Massachusetts Institute of Technology‘s (MIT) Talia Khan were among those employed by Israeli lobbyists. Frieden is the president of Alliance for Israel, while Khan is the president of MIT Israel Alliance.

But the most questionable of these antisemitism claims came from Eyal Yakoby, an Israeli-American senior at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He alleged that his “classmates and professors” called him a “dirty little Jew” who “deserves to die,” but failed to name a single student or professor who criticized him. Worse, he called for the imposition of lockdowns during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – but this time, aimed at students protesting Israel’s genocide on the Palestinian population.

“During COVID-19, strict guidelines governed everything – from class attendance [to] graduation walks,” he said during a Dec. 5 hearing of the House Education and Workforce Committee. “But now, when students and faculty defy policies to intimidate Jewish students, where is the same resolute enforcement?”

Hours after his congressional appearance, Yakoby filed a lawsuit against UPenn. He accused the university of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through its failure to respond to “antisemitism.” KBT represented Yakoby and co-plaintiff Jordan Davis, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian.

“Now, the law firm’s crusade to crush the free speech rights of Palestine solidarity activists is spreading across the country,” Reed ultimately warned. He also disclosed that in November, two of KBT’s partners revealed plans to sue other universities. The complaints will accuse the said institutions of “deliberate indifference” to the supposed plight of Jewish students, Reed added.

Watch this Fox News report about the resignation of UPenn President Liz Magill following her testimony before Congress.

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