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Rachel Neuwirth Sues Chaim Seidler-Feller over UCLA Incident

Neuwirth’s press release follows, ad verbaitm. Read my previous coverage of this subject here.

On Friday, November 21, 2003, at 2:00 p.m., freelance journalist Rachel Neuwirth will hold a press conference at the offices of her attorney, Robert L. Esensten, to discuss the lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court against Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller and co-defendants UCLA Hillel, The Los Angeles Hillel Council and Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

Ms. Neuwirth’s complaint alleges that on October 21, 2003, Rabbi Seidler-Feller flew into a rampage after Neuwirth informed him that during the first Gulf War, Palestinian Sari Nusseibeh was responsible for telling Iraqi officials to direct their scud missiles not at the Negev Desert, but to more populated Israeli locations such as Tel Aviv. According to the complaint, Seidler-Feller called Neuwirth a liar and grabbed her arm, twisting it and scratching her, and then the rabbi violently pushed and kicked the 53-year-old woman. The complaint alleges that Seidler-Feller then had to be physically subdued by several students to prevent him from kicking Neuwirth some more. The incident occurred in front of dozens of witnesses outside UCLA’s Royce Hall following a lecture by Harvard LawProfessor Alan Dershowitz, who was there promoting his new book. Ms. Neuwirth, who was injured in the attack, is seeking damages for battery, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, as well as claims against the Hillel defendants for the negligent retention of Seidler-Feller.

UCLA Hillel, Los Angeles Hillel Council Hillel and the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life have been sued because Rabbi Seidler-Feller is the director of UCLA Hillel, and is associated with or employed by the other Hillel defendants. The Dershowitz lecture was co-sponsored by the HillelFoundation and, according to the complaint, Seidler-Feller was attending the lecture within the scope of his employment with Hillel. In addition, the Hillel defendants are named in the suit because they have known about Rabbi Seidler-Feller’s history of a violent temper and confrontational behavior and have taken no disciplinary action against him, either for his past conduct or following the October 21st physical attack on Rachel Neuwirth at UCLA.

Copies of the complaint will be made available at the press conference, which will take place at 9454 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

For further information contact: Robert L. Esensten A Professional Law Corporation (310) 273-3090 Email: [email protected].

One thought on “Rachel Neuwirth Sues Chaim Seidler-Feller over UCLA Incident

  1. I came across some information that deeply disturbed me. It seems that the Hillel at UCLA has had a convicted sex offender by the name of Stuart Berlin speaking and teaching there. I think that is reprehensible. He is a threat to the safety of the people there, and a black eye for the community. Please let everyone there know so that they can make an informed choice about coming into contact with this predator.

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