Chicago, IL – Northwestern University is discriminating against the Jewish faith by dissociating with a Chabad organization that has been on its campus for 27 years, the group claims in federal court.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Chabad-Lubavitch is a hasidic movement and major form of Orthodox Judaism with more than 3,300 institutions, or Chabad houses, worldwide.
“At the very inception of the Tannenbaum House, in the early 1980s, Chabad had to litigate its right practice religion freely in the city of Evanston,” according to the complaint. “The court, in hearing the matter, determined that ‘the real fear of the defendant city and intervenors is that [Chabad] will use its property to permit the plaintiffs to practice their ancient religion in the way they have conducted it for the past centuries.’ Today, Chabad once again has to fight for that right.”
As a university chaplain, Rabbi Dov Hillel Kelin uses a stipend to obtain kosher food from a third-party vendor, Sodexo.
Court Documents here PDF
But on Sept. 11, 2012, the university allegedly sent Klein a letter that it was disassociating from Tannenbaum House.
Though the complaint does not quote from the letter, it says hints that allegations of misconduct against Klein are at the root.
“Northwestern had no legal reason to disassociate from the Tannenbaum House,” the complaint states. “The university knew that its proffered reasons were specious and based upon innuendo and falsehood. The reasons offered for that disassociation were wholly pretextual and meant to single out Chabad against all other faiths for removal from Northwestern University.
“Even if the reasons offered for that disassociation were not false, many other campus organizations including religious organizations, had committed the same acts for which Rabbi Klein stood falsely accused,” it continues. “The university was aware of this, and chose only to disassociate with Chabad.”
The Chabad House says Northwestern disassociated “solely on the basis of Rabbi Klein’s, LCI’s and the Tannenbaum Chabad House’s affiliation with Chabad Chassidism.”
“Northwestern University would not have taken this action if plaintiffs were not adherents of Chabad Chassidism,” it adds.
Northwestern has allegedly barred Klein from renewing his contract with Sodexo or “sponsoring a Birthright Israel trip.
“If Rabbi Klein is enjoined from participating in the above referenced activities, and contracts, and if Rabbi Klein is cut off from providing authentic Jewish and Chassidic experiences to Northwestern University students, it would case irreparable harm to Rabbi Klein, to the charter and purposes of the Tannenbaum Chabad House, and to Lubavitch-Chabad of Illinois,” the complaint states. “It would also cause irreparable harm to Jewish students of Northwestern University.”
Klein, Lubavitch-Chabad of Illinois and Lubavitch-Chabad of Illinois dba The Tannenbaum Chabad House sued Northwestern University, University Chaplain Timothy Stevens and Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin.
They seek punitive damages for violations of the Civil Rights Act, and an injunction for Klein.
Tamara de Silva represents the Chabad House and Klein.
Northwestern spokesman Al Cubbage told Courthouse News that he was not aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment on Northwestern’s motivation for dissociating from Chabad House.
Go CHABAD, continue spreading YIDDISHKEIT, the world over!
It is very SAD that Chabad does use HARD liquors at many functions . Vodka is served like water. It is time to wake up to the dangers of this and to STOP it NOW> No law suit is needed to defend this poor and illegal behavior.
And yet a search for “nwu islam” shows a lot of NWU faculty dabbling in Islam,so the same university which is discriminating against Jews,and particularly Chabad,doesn’t have any problem inviting that ‘barbaric 5th century ideology of hate’ and so-called “religion of peace” on its doorstep-and may that’s the REAL source of NWU’s ‘discrimination?’
The same thing happened at Rutgers but it never made the news. My son and a few of his fraternity brothers were hospitalized after drinking shots on shabbos. He was 18 at the time. Rather than cause any problems for Chabad, I told my son if he ever put one foot in the Chabad house again, I would remove him from school. If it would have happened today, I would definitely sue Chabad! My son learned a lesson the hard way by getting very very sick. His friend almost died.
It’s perfectly legal in Illinois and everywhere else in the USA to drink during a religious ceremony, even if under 21. Including the once-dry Cupcakeville, aka Evanston, Illinois. If this is such a big problem let the authorities start going after altar boys who have a sip or two of wine at Communion.
This is not quite the same as getting totally wasted at the DKE house. Let Northwestern devote more energy to the latter and far less to the former. BTW, teaching young adults how to drink responsibly, which Chabad does, is a mitzvah.
I was there in the early 80’s.
My son has been there recently.
They never gave “mashke” (wine, vodka, beer, etc) to undergrads.
Even for kiddish.
For graduate students (typically age 22 and older), they give them the choice between grape juice or wine.
Northwestern is not a party school. And Rabbi Klein programs and affiliated programs (like Birthright Israel) are amazing.
Give kavod to the mesirias nefesh that Rabbi Klein exhibits each and every day.
like they say in Chabad:
Chap arin a vodka…..vil of yinim velt vert vin der nit gabn
Based on my knowledge of the situation, I think that the relationship with the kosher food provider is the underlying issue. NU has a kosher cafeteria, and Rabbi Klein and his son were previously employed as mashgichim. However, there were many complaints from employees, including the former head chef — an Orthodox rabbi himself — regarding their actions.
Rabbi Klein is a great guy, but he always seems to have an “angle” to advance himself or family members in some way. Sounds like NU just got fed up with all the “handeling,” and put a stop to it.
BTW, NU’s president, Morton Schapiro, is not frum, but he is kosher-observant, and he’s been extremely supportive of Jewish activity at NU since taking over the presidency a few years ago.
I know Rabbi Klien for many years when I lived in Chicago.He has tremendous mesiras nefesh and is very responsible in dealing with students.From the begining going back 25 years ago NW tried to keep Chabad out.They are very waspy [read between the lines].there are hundreds of students who got there start in yidishkeit thru him. Many went on to schools like Aish and Ohr someach. His agenda is to bring kids closer to yidishkeit no mater if they end up chabad or litvish or other chasidus.Let the NW worry about the booze and wild parties being thrown at frat houses where kids are contracting STDs.They should suport somone who is trying to bring a little light into darkness and loose morals. But then its a .topsy turvy world where wild parties at frats are condoned and a party promoting G-dliness is condemned.
I don’t know the underlying issue, but i can say that Rabbi Klein has an an amazing center off campus which is visited by hundreds of students. They offer an open door to everyone, with shabbos and yom tov meals, all free of charge. I have seen this and received this hospitality first hand.
I spent 10 years now attending many chabads around the world, as well as several campuses, including Rutgers which is mentioned here. I feel left out as I’ve yet to find the drinking parties.
In this time do we need to talk bad about other Yidden?????????
The real issue here is that if you’re old enough to fight and die for your country you’re old enough to drink a beer. Or a shot of Jack Daniels, if that’s your preference. The drinking age in Israel is 18, and I didn’t see too many drunks there. In fact, I didn’t see any. On the other hand, I saw plenty in the UK while I was living there, and they have the same drinking age.
All the 21-year-old drinking age does is encourage drinking, because it’s the “forbidden fruit.” Maybe someday soon one of our politicians will have the cojones to stand up to the neo-prohibitionists at MADD. When you’re 18 your no longer a kid. You have the responsiblity to learn how to drink responsibly, and driving booze underground teaches the opposite lesson. There were never more drunks in this country than during Prohibition.
Whether Chabad Houses on campus ever dispensed more alcohol than they should have is a moot point. The fact is, today virtually all Chabad Houses on campus are dry. Occasionally students show up with their own alcohol but that happens at hillel and at University buildings as well.
And even when Lchaim is dispensed, the shliach knows the ages of the students and doesn’t dispense to the underage and dispenses conservatively to the overage. Does it mean 100 percent are dry? Not necessarily, but more than 90 percent are for sure.