YU’s New LGBTQ Club Officially Discontinued Amidst Mutual Allegations of Settlement Violations
Yeshiva University’s roshei yeshiva directed the Office of Student Life (OSL), to discontinue YU’s new LGBTQ club, Hareni, in a letter sent to the student body by UTS and RIETS Dean Rabbi Yosef Kalinsky on Friday. In an exclusive statement to The Commentator, a YU spokesperson confirmed that the club had been officially shut down “because of numerous and blatant violations of club guidelines and the recent Settlement Agreement.”
The decision comes less than 24 hours after lawyers representing Hareni sent a different letter to Andrew Lauer, YU’s general counsel and vice president for legal affairs. The letter expressed concern that YU was violating terms of the settlement that YU had made with the club in March and requested a meeting between the parties within a week. The Commentator also received exclusive access to the reply letter from YU’s counsel, alleging numerous violations of the agreement by Hareni.
The roshei yeshiva's letter alleged that Hareni was “operating as a pride club under a different name,” and was violating the approved guidelines and terms of the club and YU’s recent settlement. “There is no place for such a club in yeshiva.”
“Since the moment the club was announced,” YU’s spokesperson told The Commentator, “Hareni members, their legal counsel and public relations firm, have continuously made false and misleading statements that have sowed confusion regarding religious beliefs, and that are contrary to the goals that the approved guidelines set out for Hareni.”
“Likewise, Hareni members have repeatedly violated the Settlement Agreement. Despite all this, the administration and the Roshei Yeshiva still sought to work with and guide club leaders, encouraging them to adhere to agreed upon parameters – yet to no avail. Notably, despite the fact that the agreement explicitly states that all parties would adhere to the Roshei Yeshiva’s guidance, the club leaders have publicly stated they will not follow their directions.”
The spokesperson also said that YU is “committed” to supporting “each of its undergraduate students.”
Hareni’s letter to YU highlighted three sorts of statements from YU that Hareni alleges violate paragraph 3(k) of the Hareni protocols.
Firstly, YU had stated that the club would only be allowed to host educational, and not “purely social or recreational,” events. Additionally an April 10 statement from the roshei yeshiva asserted that all club communications contain a disclaimer that the club “is for students who seek to fully maintain traditional halachic standards of sexual morality.” Lastly, Hareni’s letter argued that statements by YU subject Hareni to stricter Rabbinic oversight compared to other clubs. A YU FAQ where the university said that “Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, one of YU’s Roshei Yeshiva, is the halachic posek for undergraduate student life and student clubs, and all activities have been and will be presented to him for his consideration and determination.”
All three of these requirements, Hareni alleged, would violate paragraph 3(k), which says that “[t]he Club will not be required to submit to any approval or oversight procedures that are not required for all student Clubs.”
The letter also said that YU did not consult with Hareni before announcing the rule against recreational events, violating its obligation to work with Hareni “in good faith” and that YU demanded that it “prescreen and pre-approve every single question and answer” at Thursday night’s town hall event.
YU’s response, written by counsel Gene Schaerr, detailed three alleged violations of the agreement’s terms by Hareni. The club had “from the start misrepresented the club,” by claiming and acting as though “it was simply the YU Pride Alliance [YUPA] under a new name,” a claim asserted in the New York Times article written after the settlement.
By simply changing the name of their Whatsapp and Instagram groups, YU’s letter alleges that Hareni acted as though it was the same club as YUPA, even though YU had never agreed to recognize YUPA and had fought a lawsuit to avoid doing so.
“On the newly rebranded YU Pride Alliance Instagram account, moreover, the former co-presidents of YU Pride Alliance announced that ‘we [YU Pride Alliance] are now an official club at YU’ and ‘will go forward using the club name Hareni.’ They closed the post with a Pride flag emoji and the words ‘[w]ith pride.’”
Secondly, YU’s letter alleges that Hareni violated the agreement in their response to the roshei yeshiva’s April 10 announcement. According to YU, paragraph 3(k) of the settlement required Hareni to follow rabbinic guidelines “like all other undergraduate clubs.” The announcement restated the restriction on purely recreational events, barred the club from using “pride flags, symbols and emojis” and required the “sexual morality” disclaimer.
In an article published in The YU Observer, Hayley Goldberg (SCW ‘27) and Schneur Friedman (YC ‘25) said they planned to hold recreational events “just as every club” has a right to do, and would not include the “egregious statement” on the club’s promotions.
“This statement sexualizes students and forgets every other aspect of them as a person,” Goldberg and Friedman wrote. “It reduces complex individuals to a single dimension, stripping them of their intellect, character, contributions to our community, and their spiritual journey. To imply that an identity poses a threat to halachic morality is not only inaccurate but harmful. It fosters a culture of exclusion, judgement and shame rather than building one of compassion, learning, and mutual respect.”
YU’s letter asserts that the statements in the article “are obviously inconsistent with your clients’ commitment [in the second paragraph of the settlement] to ‘run’ the Club ‘in accordance with the approved guidelines’ of the Roshei Yeshiva.”
The third violation alleged by YU relates to Hareni’s Thursday night town hall event. Held off campus, the event was promoted as Hareni’s inaugural event of “YU’s official LGBTQ club.” The letter describes how the university and club couldn’t come to an agreement as to the details of the event before Hareni ultimately decided to host it off campus.
“[Y]our clients repeatedly attempted to circumvent that Office’s [OSL’s] processes, first refusing to make adjustments to their proposed event, as directed by rabbinic leadership, then seeking to change the club event to a faculty event. When that failed and they shifted the event off-campus, they were told by the Office that they must avoid using the Yeshiva name or otherwise suggesting the event had been approved by Yeshiva.”
The letter concluded by agreeing to a conference with Hareni’s lawyers, but the meeting would be held with a view to identifying “additional violations of the Agreement” by Hareni and helping Hareni’s lawyers “better understand the Halachic principles that lie at the core of Yeshiva’s undergraduate religious mission.”
It is unclear whether litigation related to the recognition of an LGBTQ club will resume, the original lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be recontinued. However, it is possible for a new lawsuit to be filed based on alleged violations of the settlement.
During its existence, Hareni was controversial on campus, with a recent survey by The Commentator showing that close to 60% of students either somewhat or strongly disagreed with YU’s decision to recognize it.
A spokesperson for Hareni’s law firm did not reply immediately to The Commentator’s request for comment.
Daniel Kohn contributed to this report.
This is a developing story.
Photo Caption: YU’s Rubin Hall Building
Photo Credit: The Commentator
