The Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at UCLA published a report on Oct. 16 finding, among other things, that 75% of Jewish students, faculty, administrators and staff believe that the “antisemitism is taken less seriously than other forms of hate and discrimination at UCLA.”
The Task Force surveyed 428 respondents in June; its other findings included that “two-thirds of respondents reported that antisemitism is a problem or a serious problem at UCLA and three-quarters reported that anti-Israeli bias is a problem or serious problem” and about a third made formal complaints to the university about instances of anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli discrimination, though most were not confident that the university would take any effective action on the matter. Forty-one percent said they considered leaving UCLA due to their experiences with antisemitism or anti-Israel bias on campus.
The report proceeds go more into depth into various instances of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias on campus, particularly in regards to the spring encampments; the survey had found that 70% of respondents viewed the encampment as “a source of antisemitism.” The Task Force noted that the existence of the encampment violated several university policies and that the graffiti found inside the encampment are considered felony vandalism. Further, encampment members blocking students from entering the encampment if they were “wearing a Star of David or a kippah, or those refusing to denounce their Zionism (which for many Jews, but not all, is akin to renouncing their Jewish faith), were physically blocked by the protesters’ phalanxes from entering or passing through the occupied area of Royce Quad, entering Royce Hall, or entering Powell Library”; these actions violated state law, the Task Force contended, and that a public university’s failure to stop such behavior is a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
“We acknowledge that some believe that attacks on Israel and Israel-aligned students do not constitute discrimination against Jews. It was also the case that some Jewish people participated in the encampment,” the report stated. “However, the Task Force notes two important factors. First, by establishing a zone where supporters of Israel were banned from accessing parts of campus and by targeting supporters of Israel, encampment organizers engaged in an activity with a disparate impact against Jews. The majority of American Jews are supportive of Israel (even if many do not endorse its government or all of its policies), especially after Oct. 7, and are significantly more likely to feel an attachment to Israel than non-Jewish students … Hence as a practical matter, the encampment’s denial of passage and access to certain parts of campus to ‘supporters of Israel’ ended up targeting Jews.”
The report proceeds to document instances of violence from the encampment, including a Native American Jewish woman being assaulted with a stick and a Jewish student being knocked to the ground and kicked; the student was taken to the hospital after hitting her head on the ground. Encampment members also armed themselves with pepper spray and lumber. The report did denounce the violence conducted by counterprotesters against the encampment on April 30, but contended that “the failure to enforce campus rules instead enabled the events of April 30, 2024. Put another way, the rules exist for a reason: They protect rights. And the failure to enforce those rules undermines rights.”
The Task Force had also received reports of instances in which faculty members “excused class attendance or assignments due to students or the faculty themselves participating in the encampment. There were also reports of courses offering extra credit for attendance at the encampment or related events.” The Task Force stated they weren’t aware of any faculty members who have been disciplined over this.
Later on in the report, the Task Force stated they’re “troubled” by UCLA’s defense in a lawsuit it is facing from three Jewish students over the university’s handling of the encampment, as the Task Force believes that the university should have settled the case, as other major universities who have faced similar lawsuits have done. Instead, “in response to the motion for an injunction to allow Jewish students equal access to the campus, the University repeatedly argued that its decision to allow the encampment to continue was an appropriate and reasonable ‘deescalation’ tactic,” the report stated. “The argument that discrimination against a protected class (i.e., Jewish religion and Israeli national origin) is an appropriate or reasonable tactic for achieving any objective is problematic.” Additionally, “the University defended its action by arguing that it lacked ‘control’ over third parties in the encampment that engaged in discrimination and criminal acts against Jews and persons with political opinions that differed from their own. However, that defense is undermined by the fact that the University eventually gave up on its deescalation strategy and organized a breakup of the encampment and arrest of the protesters. UCLA could have decided to end the encampment when it was established, but it expressly decided to let the encampment protest and violations of law and University rules continue.”
The report proceeds to state that antisemitism and anti-Israel bias remains a problem at UCLA, noting that on the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, “UCLA’s Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC) Cultural Affairs Commission posted a series of images and statements that depicted paragliders and inverted red triangles, which are used by Hamas as symbols to indicate Israeli targets and are now associated with torture, rape, and murder of unarmed civilian victims. The inverted triangles in the images posted by the USAC Cultural Affairs Commission were aimed at civilian homes with Israeli flags. The USAC Cultural Affairs Commission also posted images of media reports of Hamas having killed babies and women that were stamped ‘FALSE.’ Extensive documentation, including video footage taken by the Hamas perpetrators, forensic evidence, and eyewitness testimony exists to support those media claims.”
UCLA’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter held a protest on the anniversary of Oct. 7 requiring masks for participation, which the Task Force believes violated the university’s time, place and manner restrictions.
The report concludes by suggesting that the university “overhaul” how its enforcement mechanism and how it handles complaints as well as be more consistent in how it enforce time, place and manner restrictions.
“We applaud Prof. Stuart Gabriel, the members of UCLA’s Task Force on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Hate for their dedication to helping the experience of Jewish Bruins and for their tireless efforts,” Hillel at UCLA Executive Director Dan Gold said in a statement. “The report is exemplary in its quality, fairness, and relevance, as well as its potential impact in shining a light on the experiences of Jewish students and faculty at UCLA. The report reflects the discrimination and deep challenges that Jews face at UCLA. Most unacceptable is how the vast majority of Jewish students, faculty, and staff respondents report a dynamic of blatant discrimination from their fellow students and faculty. We have appreciated the University’s efforts over the past few months to better implement and tighten up their own policies and we look forward to this report helping accelerate additional needed changes to make UCLA a safe and comfortable place to be Jewish.”
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the three Jewish students and a professor in their lawsuit against UCLA, announced in an Oct. 22 press release that the complaint has been amended to include the findings of the Task Force report. “UCLA should throw in the towel and finally admit that the administration not only allowed antisemitic encampments but encouraged them,” Becket President Mark Rienzi said in a statement. “A federal court and now UCLA’s own antisemitism task force have denounced UCLA’s blatant facilitation of Jew-hatred on campus and called for the school to stop fighting in court. UCLA should agree to make the court’s order permanent and protect its Jewish students and faculty rather than discriminate against them.”
“UCLA should throw in the towel and finally admit that the administration not only allowed antisemitic encampments but encouraged them … A federal court and now UCLA’s own antisemitism task force have denounced UCLA’s blatant facilitation of Jew-hatred on campus and called for the school to stop fighting in court.” – Mark Rienzi
The university said in a statement, “Interim Chancellor [Darnell] Hunt is appreciative of the task force’s thorough and thoughtful work on this sensitive issue during a very challenging time for our community. He is carefully reviewing the report and its recommendations to determine the best ways for UCLA to strengthen our ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism and protect the well-being of the entire Bruin community. Before the beginning of fall quarter, both UCLA and the University of California instituted reforms and programs to combat discrimination and enhance campus safety. At UCLA, we launched our Four-Point Plan for a Safer, Stronger UCLA; issued revised Time, Place and Manner policies for public expression activities on campus; and are working with multiple campus offices and stakeholders, including UCLA Hillel, to promote safety and protect civil rights.”
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