Some two dozen of America’s top law firms have penned an open letter to the deans of law schools at major universities urging them to rein in the antisemitism on their campuses and warning that recruitment at those schools could suffer if they don’t.

“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,” the letter states.

The letter decries the rash of vandalism and rallies on many of America’s college campuses calling for the death of Jews and the elimination of the state of Israel, as well as the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students at those universities. Such acts, it says, would not be tolerated at any of the firms listed.

It urges the educators to teach students to embrace a culture of open dialogue even on “emotionally charged issues” such as the war in Israel and the Hamas terror attacks of October 7.  “There is no room for antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism or any other form of violence, hatred or bigotry on your campuses, in our workplaces, or in our communities,” the firms said. 

Signatories of the letter are among the who’s who of prestigious law firms around the country. They include, among others, Cravath, Swaine & Moore; Debevoise & Plimpton; Kirkland & Ellis; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Skadden; and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. 

Another firm on the list, Davis Polk & Wardwell of New York, last month rescinded job offers to students from Harvard University and Columbia University after those students signed on to statements blaming Israel for the attacks.

Several Ivy League campuses have been roiled by anti-Israel protests that have alarmed donors and alumni. Jewish students on the campuses report that they have been harassed and, at times, physically assaulted by pro-Hamas students on the campuses.