Chicago Jewish Alliance rally demands action from DePaul after antisemitic attack on campus

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There was a call for an end to hate Thursday after two Jewish students at DePaul University were attacked.

Organizers of the rally stood in the exact spot where police say the students were targeted earlier this month while showing their support for Israel.

The two Jewish students, Max Long and Michael Kaminsky, and their attorney are now blaming the university for the violent attack. Those students are now demanding new policies that they say should better protect all students.

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Wrapped in the Israeli flag as a symbol of their unwavering Jewish pride, Long and Kaminsky were back at the scene of the violent campus crime, defiant.

I'm a proud Jew. A Zionist. And a student at DePaul University committed to defending the dignity and safety of Israel and the Jewish people," Long said.

That's the message Long and Kaminsky say they were trying to send, November 6, as the two took their weekly spot outside the DePaul student center with a sign offering to talk about the war in Gaza.

That's when the students and police say two masked people attacked the pair from behind, knocking Long out and breaking Kaminsky's wrist.

"After the physical attack, Michael and I were then verbally harassed by other students who told us that we got what we deserved," Long said.

READ MORE | Jewish DePaul students speak out after antisemitic attack on campus: 'Traumatic experience'

"Since October 7th, there has been little to no actionable steps taken by the university to protect it's Jewish students," Kaminsky said.

In a statement in response to the rally, DePaul said so far this quarter it's hired a new Jewish Life chaplain, is working with its religious student groups to redesign their spaces, and has launched a program to train faculty and staff to facilitate difficult conversations across diverse perspectives

Jewish leaders say the attack on Long and Kaminsky shows it's not enough, and with their masked attackers still at large, they're demanding more.

"Jewish students are afraid to walk on their own campus with their Jewish symbols out without fear of being attacked," Chicago Jewish Alliance CEO Josh Weiner said.

The lawyers with the Lawfare Project who are representing the two students who were attacked say they have not ruled out legal action against the DePaul University.

"You must encourage dialogue, not silence it," Long said.