Jewish Organizations File Lawsuit Against UC Berkeley, Alleging Spread of Antisemitism
Two Jewish organizations, the Louis D. Brandeis Center and the Jewish Americans For Fairness in Education (JAFE), have filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley, and school administrations, accusing the institution of allowing the “longstanding, unchecked spread of antisemitism” on campus.
The lawsuit specifically targets the UC Berkeley School of Law, claiming that antisemitism has taken root and grown at the school over the past year. According to the lawsuit, the UC Berkeley School of Law is being accused of implementing policies that force Jewish students to go against their faith.
“Under these policies, Jewish students, faculty and guest speakers must deny a central part of their cultural, ancestral heritage and a fundamental tenant of their faith in order to be eligible for the same opportunities Berkeley accords to others,” the lawsuit claims.
One example highlighted in the lawsuit is the requirement by 23 student organizations at the law school for students to undergo “Palestine 101” training, which allegedly “emphasizes the illegitimacy of the state of Israel.”
The lawsuit also points to a recent incident where several student organizations amended their bylaws to restrict inviting speakers who support Israel or Zionism. This move followed a request from the group Law Students for Justice in Palestine, leading to what some have referred to as “Jewish Free Zones” on campus.
“It was revealed that nine student organizations in Berkeley’s law school amended their bylaws to restrict inviting any speakers that support Israel or Zionism. This began after the group Law Students for Justice in Palestine asked other student organizations to ban all speakers who support Israel.”
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In a statement to The Hill, Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor for UC Berkeley, played down these allegations.
“While we appreciate the concerns expressed by the Brandeis Center, UC Berkeley believes the claims made in the lawsuit are not consistent with the First Amendment of the Constitution, or the facts of what is actually happening on our campus,” Mogulof said.
The legal action seeks to compel the school to enforce nondiscriminatory policies and address what the plaintiffs describe as a “hostile environment on campus” that has allegedly been created.
