Investigations have been opened into the University of California's alleged antisemitism under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced on Wednesday.
Part of the investigation will look into whether there has been a pattern of discriminatory employment practices.
Leading Task Force member and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell said, “Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, there has been an outbreak of antisemitic incidents at leading institutions of higher education in America, including at my own alma mater at the UCLA campus of UC.
"The impact upon UC’s students has been the subject of considerable media attention and multiple federal investigations. But these campuses are also workplaces, and the Jewish faculty and staff employed there deserve a working environment free of antisemitic hostility and hate. The President, the Attorney General, and this Task Force are committed to combatting antisemitism for all Jewish Americans,” Terrell concluded.
Antisemitism on US campuses
“Our country has witnessed a disturbing rise of Antisemitism at educational institutions in California and nationwide,” said Acting Associate Attorney General and Department of Justice Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle. “The Department of Justice is committed to upholding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and protecting Jewish Americans as we investigate this potential pattern of discrimination.”
The task force announced earlier this week that investigations would be opened into eight other universities - Columbia University; Harvard University; George Washington University; New York University; the University of Southern California; Johns Hopkins University; and Northwestern University.