The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has ruled that Jeffrey Lax, a Jewish professor at the Brooklyn Community College in New York, was discriminated against on the basis of his identity as an observant Jew and a supporter of Israel.
According to the ruling, Lax, a professor of business administration at New York University and Kingsborough Community College, was deliberately excommunicated from staff meetings, which were scheduled on Saturday to prevent him and other observant Jews from attending.
EEOC investigators determined that they had reason to believe that Lax was discriminated against and even took revenge on him because of his religion.
"The Progressive Faculty Caucus continued to meet on Saturday nights, and did not try to set a new date that would suit Lax and other employees who could not attend due to the observance of their religious precepts," the investigators wrote.
A 2020 report by a law firm representing Lax states that a number of witnesses confirmed the professor's claims - including one who said "leftists did not like Lax because he was in favor of Trump, and a pro-Israel, Zionist and conservative American."
Kingsborough Community College said it is "committed to a diverse and inclusive community where students, faculty, and staff feel safe and free to continue their studies and work. We have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind, and allegations of discrimination are taken very seriously."