UC Berkeley accused of failing to address anti-Semitism as federal complaint is filed
UC Berkeley is facing a federal discrimination complaint from StandWithUs, alleging that the university has failed to address anti-Semitism on campus, including incidents of harassment and assault against Jewish students.
Despite these claims, the university denies any recent threats to Jewish students and has introduced a course that portrays Hamas as a "revolutionary resistance force" while accusing the U.S. of supporting genocide.
The University of California, Berkeley was recently hit with a federal discrimination complaint alleging that the school administration has failed to adequately address instances of anti-Semitism on its campus.
The complaint was filed with the Department of Education’s (DOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) by the non-profit organization StandWithUs on March 18.
StandWithUs alleged in its filing that a Jewish student was “harassed” and “assaulted” at the school “as a result of his actual and perceived Jewish ethnicity.” It also asserts that the school has fostered “a hostile environment for Jewish students.”
“UC Berkeley contributes to a hostile climate for Jewish, Zionist, and Israeli students through its inaction, refusal to enforce its own policies, deliberate dismissiveness of Jewish students’ safety concerns,” the complaint filed by StandWithUs asserts.
The organization then details instances where the school allegedly failed to investigate or discipline disruptive anti-Israel student activists, going all the way back to October 2023, when Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
In one instance, a “masked individual” allegedly attempted to block a Jewish student from walking on campus. Yet, even when the Jewish student filed a complaint with the university about the incident, he was told “there was no violation of policy warranting an investigation.”
Dan Mogulof, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley, told JNS that the school was unaware of the complaint and denied that Jewish students have been threatened recently.
“We are not aware of any complaint that might have been filed today, and I am not aware of any incidents that have allegedly endangered or undermined the safety of Jewish students on the Berkeley campus since new directives were put in place last August,” Mogulof explained.
“UC Berkeley has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to confronting antisemitism as part of our support for a campus community where all can feel safe, respected and welcome regardless of their origins, identities, beliefs or perspectives,” Mogulof continued.
Campus Reform has previously reported, however, that UC Berkeley announced a new program on Palestinian and Arab Studies in the midst of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Additionally, the school is offering a course this semester that asserts that Hamas is a “revolutionary resistance force fighting settler colonialism” and accuses the U.S. of supporting “genocide” by aiding Israel.
”With the US-backed and -funded genocide being carried out against Indigenous Palestinians by the Israeli Occupying Force, many have found it difficult to envision a reality beyond the one we are living in today,” the course description states.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of California, Berkeley for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
