BREAKING: The Lawfare Project to Represent Jewish DePaul University Student Attacked on Campus

CHICAGO – Monday, November 18, 2024 – The Lawfare Project announced today that they have been retained to represent Max Long, a DePaul University student who was violently attacked in an antisemitic hate crime.

Max, who previously served in the Israel Defense Force (IDF), was attacked on campus on November 6th by two masked assailants who brought him to the ground and beat him unconscious. He suffered a concussion from the attack and is currently recovering. Max has since been subjected to a campaign of Jew-hatred and harassment online, with pro-Hamas accounts broadcasting his picture to their followers as “wanted,” referring to him as an “IDF butcher,” and declaring that he “got what he deserved.”

“Colleges and universities across the United States are turning into literal battlegrounds where Jewish students are being singled out, discriminated against and beaten for their identity,” said Brooke Goldstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Lawfare Project. “No student – let alone one like Max who served in the IDF and went on the frontlines to destroy Hamas terrorists – should be subjected to physical, verbal or mental abuse for expressing their Jewish identity. DePaul failed Max and needs to be held accountable for its abject failure to protect Jewish students.”

Prior to the attack, Max was leading discussions on campus about Jewish civil rights and the efforts to defend Israel against Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. He quickly became the target of angry protestors who harassed him and made threats to his physical safety. Although Max reported these threats to university staff, no effort was made to ensure a safe environment on campus.

“I will never apologize for standing up for my identity and hope that no one at DePaul University falls victim to the violence I experienced, " said Max Long. “I am in incredible pain with bruises all over my face, but I am grateful for the support I have received from the Jewish community at large and The Lawfare Project specifically and will continue to work to enforce my civil rights and against the hatred that has consumed American campuses.”

The Chicago Police Department classified the attack as a hate crime and has released images of the suspects, but they remain at large. The Lawfare Project aims to obtain justice for Max by working to ensure that the attackers are arrested, appropriately charged, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law; imposing meaningful consequences on hate crimes is a strong deterrent to future acts of violence targeting the minority Jewish community.