PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Days before the 268th Graduation Ceremony of the University of Pennsylvania At the graduation ceremony last May, graduate Eyal Yakoby walked across campus with a heavy heart.

“People say graduation should be bittersweet,” Yakoby said. “Right now, it's just bitter.”

In the wake of the October 7: Hamas-led attack on IsraelYakoby, who is of Jewish descent, is one of several students suing Penn, claiming the university failed to Respond appropriately to anti-Semitism on campus and violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“In the aftermath, several Jewish families, both Ivy League and non-Ivy League students, and their parents came to us and said the atmosphere on campus was hostile, frightening and threatening to their children,” said Marc Kasowitz of the law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP.

Kasowitz's firm is representing Yakoby and other plaintiffs. The firm also has lawsuits pending against Columbia University, New York University and Harvard University.

“Universities have created an environment in which anti-Semitism has been widely accepted for years,” Kasowitz said.

Penn's complaint suggests that anti-Semitism has occurred on campus since 2015. One alleged example occurred last September when the university hosted the Palestine Writes Literature Festival.

The then university president Liz Magill and The Penn leadership immediately faced backlash out of prominent donors due to the speakers at the festival.

More than two dozen speakers were accused of anti-Semitic statements by the Anti-Defamation League.

Last November, in response to alleged anti-Semitism on campus, Pennsylvania University officials established a university task force on anti-Semitism and a presidential commission to combat hate and build community.

In December, Magill testified before a House committee about her Administration's response to alleged anti-Semitism on campus.

Magill has resigned sequel follows Criticism and failure to say whether the call for genocide against the Jews constitutes a violation of the University of Pennsylvania's code of conduct against bullying and harassment.

It was not until May 20, the day Yakoby and his classmates graduated and six months after the task force was formed, that the final recommendations were released.

The task force recommended that Penn increase its efforts to promote Jewish and intercultural studies and clearly express its opposition to divestment from Israel.

CBS Philadelphia has made several attempts to conduct interviews Penn Interim President Dr. J. Larry Jameson and university officials regarding the complaint and the task force's recommendations. A university spokesperson declined to comment.

In court filings, Penn's lawyers responded to the lawsuit, saying they “strongly and unconditionally condemn anti-Semitism.” The response states that while plaintiffs like Yakoby may disagree with Penn's response, “this lawsuit is not the proper remedy for their grievances.”

“I hope for Penn that they find their North Star. That Penn gets their moral compass and their courage back,” Yakoby said.