Jewish group sues Berkeley for 'longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism'
In late November, several Jewish organizations filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley, alleging a 'longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism.'
The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in San Francisco by the Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education.
In late November, several Jewish organizations filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley, alleging a “longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism” at the college.
Filed in a federal court in San Francisco by the Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, the lawsuit is one of only a few brought against large colleges since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October.
The lawsuit claims that the lack of a university response to anti-Semitism on campus has “erupted in on-campus displays of hatred, harassment, and physical violence against Jews,” necessitating a court intervention. It also states that “no fewer than 23” student organizations at UC Berkeley School of Law have enacted discriminatory policies that “exclude Jewish students, faculty, and scholars.”
Specifically, the document points to Women of Berkeley Law, the Queer Caucus at Berkeley, and the Asian Pacific American (APA) Law Students Association. According to the lawsuit, to join these student groups, students must support the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Additionally, the suit mentions Berkeley Law Legal Services organizations, which require students to take a “Palestine 101” training program—a program that allegedly “emphasizes the illegitimacy of the State of Israel.”
Although the UC administration “publicly acknowledged the fundamentally anti-Semitic nature” of various student groups, the plaintiffs allege that the school has “taken no action to address them.”
The plaintiffs identify alleged acts of unaddressed anti-Semitism, including a professor ranting against Israel for 18 minutes in the presence of around 1,000 freshmen, “anti-Semitic mobs” on campus who cause Jewish students to feel “afraid to go to class,” and a Jewish student being attacked by two pro-Palestinian protesters and hit in the head with a metal water bottle.
The plaintiffs also aim to change the university’s response to anti-Semitism through a court order mandating that UC Berkeley uphold its nondiscrimination policies, and refrain from providing support or recognition to campus organizations that exclude Jewish students.
In an interview with The Hill, Dan Mogulof, an assistant vice chancellor at UC Berkeley, denied the allegations made in the lawsuit, saying that UC Berkeley has “long committed to confronting” anti-Semitism. He specifically pointed to UC Berkeley’s “Antisemitism Education Initiative” that began in fall 2019.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of California, Berkeley and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
