An Israeli student is taking the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) to court over claims of persistent antisemitic discrimination following a sequence of controversial events, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. The student, Shiran Canel, alleges the incidents began during her admissions process and escalated in the wake of an October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, as the environment at SAIC became hostile, particularly after a professor's inflammatory post on social media characterizing Israelis with derogatory terms.
Canel's experience intensified when a faculty member changed a course assignment, which she found to be targeted harassment, and after she faced a joint class session that spiraled into an anti-Israeli diatribe by another student which left her feeling isolated – a description detailed in her federal lawsuit filed in Chicago against the art school. Despite reaching out for support and safety assurances from the institution, Canel claims she received no response from SAIC and fears for her safety on campus, questioning, "How can I be safe?" in a letter shared with SAIC leaders.
The lawsuit further argues SAIC violated the Illinois Human Rights Act and Title VI which prohibits discrimination in institutions receiving federal financial support, with the student seeking unspecified damages and corrective measures against policies that discriminate against Jewish or Israeli students. SAIC has declined to comment on the pending litigation but insists it condemns antisemitism and discrimination, stating it is "unequivocally committed to providing a safe and welcoming learning environment for all of our students, faculty, and staff," according to a statement given to the National Desk.
On a related note, October saw SAIC professor Mika Tosca publicly lambast Israelis in a bitter Instagram rant, wherein she described them as "pigs" and "savages," while wishing them to "rot in hell", a post that garnered attention. The professor later apologized before announcing her decision to leave the school in December, noting "PALESTINE WILL BE FREE." Shiran's lawyer, Steve Blonder, has called the school's handling of these incidents "educationally indefensible," stressing the school’s actions have left an "indelible stain" on the institution, he discussed the concerns and aims of the lawsuit with the National Desk. The rise in antisemitic and anti-Arab sentiments on campuses is a national concern, with several university leaders having resigned amid backlash and schools implementing measures to combat the uptick in hate incidents, reflecting a broader pattern of discrimination in higher education.
Charles Cohen, executive director of Metro Chicago Hillel, while aware of Canel's legal action, hopes for a resolution that addresses the needs of Jewish students at the institution, addressing several troubling events allegedly affecting Jewish students at SAIC before Canel's time, including the unsatisfactory response to requests for kosher food during Passover and a teacher’s use of antisemitic slurs, which Cohen relayed to the Chicago Tribune.
