Last Updated on July 28, 2022 by Michelle Ball
By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995
According to the “Institute for Jewish and Community Research” (IJCR) the University of California has gotten hit with a lawsuit and an investigation by the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, at two different campuses, for anti-semitic issues on campus.
A federal lawsuit was filed against the University of California Berkeley (UCB) earlier this month (March 2011) based on incidents involving alleged targeting of students of Jewish ancestry. In the complaint are outlined an injury to the claimant (a Jewish student) who was struck by a shopping cart while holding a sign up on campus which read “Israel Wants Peace” during a protest.
There is also an alleged pattern of activities listed as supportive of the claim of anti-semitism at UCB. The basis for the complaint are alleged denial of the students right to free exercise of religion, deliberate indifference to discriminatory activities, and other claims under both federal and state law.
The IJCR also states that the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) is being investigated for potential anti-semitism by the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). A complaint was filed in June of 2009 by a UC Santa Cruz lecturer, based on alleged anti-semitic statements, textbooks, lectures, and inadequate handling of the issues by UCSC.
Targeting or discriminating against any person based on national origin, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, sex/gender/sexual orientation, race, color, disability, or age is prohibited.
