A free speech group says West Virginia University infringed upon a student’s First Amendment rights when it placed a no-contact order on him, prohibiting interaction with a school employee. Now, the organization is calling on WVU to lift the order reportedly placed on Jewish student Eliyahu Itkowitz after he distributed pro-Israel books on campus.
No-contact order
Itkowitz told Straight Arrow News this all started in October 2024 when he saw activists making signs that he said were antisemitic.
“I was very upset,” Itkowitz told SAN. “I made my remarks towards them — about what they were doing was wrong — and then on my way out, I got confronted by the president of the MSA (Muslim Student Association).”
The association then posted pictures of Itkowitz on their Instagram stories, saying, “If you see this person, please be cautious of him. He has already verbally harassed our Muslim sisters.”
According to a letter from The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expressions (FIRE), Itkowitz then handed out copies of “The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies: And How to Refute Them with Truth” by Alan Dershowitz in December 2024. That book aims to demonstrate that many of the allegations from anti-Israel protesters are false.
A dining hall employee received one of those copies and later reported Itkowitz to campus police and the university’s DEI office, which the university has since disbanded. The employee told police Itkowitz had given her an anti-Muslim book.
Police called during incident
When students returned after winter break, that same employee saw Itkowitz enter the dining hall and allegedly made a false claim that the university had banned Itkowitz, according to the letter. Itkowitz refused to leave, so the employee called the police.
“(The manager) tried to remove me from the dining hall. He came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you can’t eat here because of the things that you have said,’” Itkowitz told SAN. “I was just in shock.”
According to the letter, the police report shows the employee also claimed Itkowitz called her “anti-Jewish” and insinuated she was a terrorist.
“It’s a disgusting smear being used to justify trying to ban me and kick me out of the dining hall,” Itkowitz told SAN. “They couldn’t handle me handing out a pro-Israel book, so they created a false narrative to punish me. Since then, the school has launched constant investigations to intimidate and silence me. This isn’t about safety, it’s about censorship.”
That’s when the school issued the no-contact order directing Itkowitz to have no contact with the employee. The DEI office launched an investigation as well but that ended when the office closed.
“I really do think the school should do something about this,” Itkowitz told SAN. “
FIRE sent a letter to the university, urging officials to reverse the order and asserting that the First Amendment protects Itkowitz’s right to distribute the books.
“WVU’s policy of investigating wholly protected expression and issuing no-contact orders without evidence of misconduct has allowed students and staff to weaponize the complaint process to silence their ideological opponents,” Jessica Appleby of FIRE told SAN.
Support on campus
Itkowitz said he is getting support from Jewish groups on campus.
“I’ve had tremendous support,” Itkowitz told SAN. “I don’t think people know we even have Jews in West Virginia.”
Despite all this, Itkowitz does plan on going back to WVU in the fall to begin his sophomore year, where he is studying finance.
WVU response
SAN reached out to West Virginia University for comment on this matter. It has not yet provided a response.
We’ve also reached out to the Muslim Student Association at the university and are waiting for a response.
