Major law firms warn universities they won't hire students engaging in antisemitism

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Over two dozen Wall Street law firms are taking a stand against growing instances of antisemitism on college campuses with a warning about students' future employment.

Joe Shenker, senior chair at Sullivan & Cromwell, spearheaded a letter calling on law schools to better address and combat students and campus organizations promoting support for Hamas following its deadly attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

"Over the last several weeks, we have been alarmed at reports of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism and assaults on college campuses, including rallies calling for the death of Jews and the elimination of the State of Israel. Such anti-Semitic activities would not be tolerated at any of our firms. We also would not tolerate outside groups engaging in acts of harassment and threats of violence, as has also been occurring on many of your campuses," the letter, released on Wednesday, read.

Supporters of Palestine gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

The law firms were explicit they would not tolerate the kind of antisemitism recently displayed on some campuses and urged the deans to "provide your students with the tools and guidance to engage in the free exchange of ideas, even on emotionally charged issues, in a manner that affirms the values we all hold dear and rejects unreservedly that which is antithetical to those values."

The letter continued, "As employers who recruit from each of your law schools, we look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses."

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Shenker told the New York Times that he and other firms believed that school administrators "were late to getting that Jewish students are actually scared — they feel threatened, and they feel betrayed."

Major law firms have expressed their hesitancy to hire any students who have espoused antisemitism.  (Getty Images)

One law firm signatory, Davis Polk & Wardwell, previously rescinded job offers for three law students from Harvard and Columbia universities after the students signed open letters supporting Hamas against Israel. 

"We thus concluded that rescinding these offers was appropriate in upholding our responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive work environment for all Davis Polk employees," an email from Davis Polk chair and managing partner Neil Barr explained.

Wednesday's letter originally included signatures from 25 law firms. Since then, two additional law firms have added their support.

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Multiple angles of pro-Palestinian protests at Harvard Business School on Wednesday, Oct. 18. (Fox News)

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Several Jewish students have reported feeling threatened on campuses following several pro-Palestinian protests that appeared to support and cheer on the Hamas terrorist attacks that killed over 1,400 people in Israel. Many wealthy university donors have since announced that they would end their financial support for schools that failed to properly condemn antisemitic student behavior.

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