Yeshiva University Abuse Survivors Cite New Media Coverage, Renew Calls for Firings and Federal Oversight

New York, NY — Following coverage in The Jerusalem Post of Yeshiva University’s legal strategy in an ongoing abuse lawsuit, survivor-advocate Mordechai I. Twersky is renewing calls for the immediate dismissal of YU President Rabbi Ari Berman, General Legal Counsel Avi Lauer, and board members responsible for what plaintiffs call a “sustained campaign of retraumatization and humiliation.”

The Post’s reporting confirms a growing scandal that has shaken the Orthodox community. As noted in the coverage, the university’s defense team demanded intensely personal documents—including mental health records of Holocaust survivor parents and plaintiffs’ online dating history.

“This is not legal discovery—it’s intimidation,” said Twersky, the lead named plaintiff. “It’s a vulgar and obscene attempt to wrap childhood abuse around our parents’ Holocaust trauma. These tactics aren’t about justice. They’re about shaming us into silence.”

In his recent Times of Israel op-ed titled “Why Is YU Probing My Holocaust Survivor Parents’ Marriage?”, Twersky also revealed that a former assistant principal and key witness, Rabbi Ellis Bloch, had been scheduled to testify under oath but abruptly withdrew after contact with YU attorneys—raising serious concerns of witness tampering.

Twersky is now urging federal civil rights oversight, citing the newly enacted Antisemitism Awareness Act. He and fellow survivors contend that the legal tactics employed by YU’s outside law firm, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, weaponize Jewish identity and inflict renewed trauma on the descendants of Holocaust survivors.

Demands:

• Immediate dismissal of President Ari Berman and General Counsel Avi Lauer

• Public apology and full accountability from YU’s board

• Severing ties with Seyfarth Shaw LLP

• Federal intervention under civil rights protections for Jewish plaintiffs

• Unsealing of testimony from sealed witnesses, if requested by journalists or investigators

“We are calling for a tabula rasa,” said Twersky. “Because if this is how Yeshiva University defends itself, the price isn’t just paid by its victims—it’s paid by the soul of our community.”