Jewish Brandeis Center sues UC Berkeley over long-standing 'unchecked' antisemitism
A Jewish human rights group is suing the University of California, Berkeley over its alleged "unchecked" and long-standing spread of antisemitism on the college campus, the center announced Tuesday.
The lawsuit, brought by the Brandeis Center, targets the college's president, law school, and chancellor, accusing the officials of "turning a blind eye" to the hatred that Jewish students are receiving on the campus, which has escalated since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
“This suit targets the longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism at the University of California Berkeley, which, following the October 7 Hamas attacks, has erupted in on-campus displays of hatred, harassment, and physical violence against Jews,” the complaint said. “Court intervention is now needed to protect students and faculty and to end this anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment, which violates University policy, federal civil rights laws, and the U.S. Constitution.”
One recent incident in the lawsuit claims a student was struck in the head with a metal water bottle for draping themselves in an Israeli flag during a pro-Palestinian protest. Other students and Jewish faculty members have claimed they do not feel safe going to class after receiving hate mail that called for their murder and gassing.
"[The attacks are] a direct result of Berkeley’s leadership repeatedly turning a blind eye to unfettered Jew-hatred," the center's founder and chairman, Kenneth Marcus, said in a press release shared with the "Berkeley, once a beacon of free speech, civil rights, and equal treatment of persons regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, and sexual preference, is heading down a very different and dangerous path from the one I proudly attended as a Jewish law student.”
The university rejected the allegations in the lawsuit, claiming the complaint was not consistent with what is happening on the campus and that the university has been "committed to confronting antisemitism, and to supporting the needs and interests of its Jewish students, faculty, and staff."
The university condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in a statement last month, which was signed by 380 faculty members. It has also increased security on campus amid the heightened tensions and is offering mental health and accommodations to students who have been affected by the Israel-Hamas war. Students are also encouraged to report any antisemitic harassment or discrimination to the university, and the school will investigate the claims.
The dean of UC Berkeley's law school admitted to an increase in antisemitism at his school recently but claimed the lawsuit was inaccurate and ignored the First Amendment.
“Berkeley Law is dedicated and works very hard to being a conducive learning environment for our Jewish and all of our students," Berkeley Law School dean Erwin Chemerinsky said in a statement shared with the "The complaint filed by the Brandeis Center paints a picture of the Law School that is stunningly inaccurate and that ignores the First Amendment. Student organizations have the First Amendment right to choose their speakers, including based on their viewpoint. Although there is much that the campus can and does do to create an inclusive learning environment, it cannot stop speech even if it is offensive.”
Chemerinsky also recently claimed that one student told him that the elimination of Zionist students on the liberal campus would make her feel safer, according to the center.
“I am a 70-year-old Jewish man, but never in my life have I seen or felt the antisemitism of the last few weeks,” Chemerinsky said. “Two weeks ago, at a town hall, a student told me that what would make her feel safe in the law school would be to ‘get rid of the Zionists.’”
The lawsuit claims that the school, including the law school, has a history of antisemitism that occurred before the attack on Oct. 7. One incident that serves as a focus of the suit occurred last year when nine law student organizations voted to amend their constitutions to ban Zionists from speaking at their events. That number has since increased to 23 organizations.
Jewish students are also allegedly being kept out of networking and mentorship opportunities, and several academic journals have prohibited Zionists from publishing their work. Pro-bono organizations are also preventing Jewish students from receiving hands-on legal experience and training that is required in order to take the state bar, the center claimed.
Law students are expected to log at least 50 hours of pro-bono work in order to take most bar exams, but there is no specific requirement for the California bar. However, 50 hours is still recommended.
