A Jewish couple who were beaten during their twins’ fifth-grade graduation ceremony over alleged anti-Semitic aggression plan to sue New York City for $100 million.
Johan Nunez and Lana Lerner allege the Department of Education “failed to provide adequate security measures” at PS 682 in Brooklyn on June 14, amid a surge in anti-Semitic attacks since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
As a result, they say, a woman slammed her black switchblade into Nunez’s head as he was repeatedly punched and kicked, and Lerner was dragged away by her hair just after another family began shouting “Free Palestine.”
The couple now says they suffered abuse and emotional distress as a result of the brawl that was captured on camera, according to a notice of claim obtained by the New York Post.
They also claim that human rights violations have been committed.
Johan Nunez and Lana Lerner plan to sue the New York City Department of Education for $100 million
A short video shows Nunez being dragged and kicked after attending his twins’ graduation ceremony in an alleged anti-Semitic attack
According to the family, the brawl broke out after a fifth-grader wore a school-approved graduation cap with the words “Free Palestine” on it while walking across the stage and waving a small Palestinian flag.
Lerner said that upon seeing the performance, her mother recoiled and walked out of her seat in horror.
“I can’t watch this anymore,” her mother, a Jewish refugee from Ukraine, told her daughter in Russian.
Meanwhile, another parent asked the school administration how it was possible that these kinds of things were displayed at a graduation ceremony.
“The administrator basically told her that ‘we contacted the legal department and they were told it was free speech and it was allowed,’” Lerner told the Post.
The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch, but once it was over, all the families gathered at the balloon display to take pictures.
As Lerner and her family stood up to take photos of the twins, the family of the boy wearing the Palestinian cap and flag tried to push them aside, the claim said.
The couple alleges the Department of Education “failed to provide adequate safety measures” at PS 682 in Brooklyn on June 14
“They pushed my mother aside,” Lerner said.
She turned to them and said, “Excuse me, please stop pushing. There’s plenty of room.”
But, she said, ‘an older gentleman [turned] out of nowhere came to us and said: ‘Free Palestine.’
Nunez then allegedly tried to defuse the situation by saying, “This is not the time or place for this,” but one of the men in the other family continued to shout, “Free Palestine! Gaza is ours!”
According to Lerner, at that point a younger member of the unidentified other family punched Nunez in the temple, put him in a chokehold and pulled him to the ground.
Several people then joined in the commotion, including a woman who allegedly struck Nunez with her black stiletto.
An unknown person allegedly punched Nunez in the temple, while another woman hit him in the head with a switchblade
Nunez went to a local hospital after suffering injuries to his head, elbow and left knee
Lerner said their 16-year-old son, in an attempt to save Nunez, tried to get people off his father but was also punched in the face.
Meanwhile, Lerner tried to capture the attack on her phone, but said she was only able to capture a few seconds before “a woman from the same family came up from my left, grabbed me by my hair, dragged me across the ground and kicked me [and] said, “I’m going to kill you.”
The fight was eventually broken up by two male teachers because there was no security on site, court documents show.
Police who arrived on the scene eventually arrested Ez-Al Dean Bazar, 26, who is accused of punching and dragging Nunez, according to a criminal complaint from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Officers are also investigating the incident as a hate crime, according to amNY.
The family alleges the school “incited hostility” by “allowing the display of an anti-Semitic message at a school event”
After the incident, Nunez went to a local hospital, where she suffered injuries to her head, elbow, and left knee. Lerner went to an emergency room for her injuries.
Nearly a month later, Nunez says he still has “a lot of body pain” and is receiving medical treatment for his injuries.
The family is now accusing the school of “inciting hostility” by “allowing the display of an anti-Semitic message at a school event.”
“We believe the DOE allowed this to happen because tensions were high and there was insufficient security and supervision of the parents, family and guests attending the graduation ceremony to prevent it from escalating into violence,” said attorney Mark Shirian.
He and his co-counsel, Sanford Rubenstein, added, “We believe the DOE should consider the consequences if they allow such a display at a public graduation ceremony.”
The two also plan to file a civil complaint against the Department of Education and those involved in the attack.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Department of Education and the city’s law department for comment.
But in a statement to the Post, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said: “Graduation ceremonies should be a time of celebration and joy, and we strongly condemn anyone who behaves in a violent or aggressive manner at such events.
“From the first reports we have received from several witnesses, it appears that both families behaved aggressively. However, we are still investigating the matter and are simultaneously in discussions with the families to find a solution.”