A letter from the California Legislative Jewish Caucus sent this week to the heads of the state’s two massive university systems ticks off a long list of alleged antisemitic incidents on campuses since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in Israel and subsequent war:
- Physical attacks on Jewish students at UC Berkeley, UC Davis and San Jose State University for expressing support for Israel.
- Jewish students at UC San Diego needing a police escort to safely leave a meeting.
- “Obscene” anti-Israel graffiti on a Jewish student group’s banner at Cal Poly Humboldt.
- Anti-Israel groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine, celebrating the Hamas terrorist attack, including a rally at UCLA that “interrupted classes with hate-filled rhetoric.”
- A social media post by a UC Davis professor with knife, ax and blood emojis calling for violence against “Zionist journalists” in their homes and their “kids in school.”
- An Israeli student at UC Berkeley being told she couldn’t participate in a class-related conference because of her nationality.
- The UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council describing Oct. 7 as part of the “Palestinian freedom struggle.”
- An increased need for armed security at Jewish student centers on many campuses.
Jewish students on University of California and California State University campuses have been “traumatized by a barrage of physical abuse, threats, intimidation, hate speech, online harassment and exclusion from academic opportunities,” the Nov. 7 letter states.
“It’s become clear the situation is escalating. It’s getting worse and not better. That’s what prompted us to send the letter,” state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-S.F.), who co-chairs the caucus, told J. in a phone interview. “UC and CSU leaders have an obligation to foster a safe environment on campuses.”
The California Legislative Jewish Caucus — a group of 18 lawmakers in Sacramento — described its “outrage and concern regarding the explosion of antisemitism” at UC and CSU campuses over the past month.
The university systems “must take immediate action to protect Jewish students,” the letter states.
“This is not just a California issue,” Assemblymember and caucus co-chair Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, told J. in a phone interview. “It’s a national issue.”
The letter is addressed to University of California President Michael Drake and California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia. It was sent as Jewish college students across the country and worldwide feel threatened and isolated amid a sharp spike in hate directed at Jews and Israelis following the massacre, hostage-taking and subsequent Israel-Hamas war.
The caucus noted what it views as a double standard on the part of university officials when it comes to condemning hate speech against Jews.
“What is deeply distressing to many in the Jewish community — including members of our Jewish Caucus — is the pervasive feeling that the response by campus officials to the current situation would be markedly different if it involved another historically marginalized group,” the letter stated.
We cannot imagine — nor would we tolerate — silence or equivocation if any other group on campus were being similarly targeted.
“We cannot imagine — nor would we tolerate — silence or equivocation if any other group on campus were being similarly targeted. We have seen the UC and CSU stake out bold positions on politically charged issues like immigration and LGBTQ+ rights; it should not be this difficult to condemn antisemitism.”
Since Oct. 7, caucus members have met with dozens of UC and CSU students and held a Zoom meeting with 16 Hillel directors from across the state.
Gabriel, who is a UC Berkeley alum, said the “volume of incidents has become so concerning. So we’re considering all the tools we have available so that Jewish students, like all other faiths and backgrounds, feel protected from hate. And we’re going to lean in and do everything we need to do.”
Spokespeople for UC and CSU said the university systems — with a combined enrollment of about 740,000 students — are working to address hate incidents on their campuses.
“Any type of targeted discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, does not belong on any University of California campus and will not be tolerated,” a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President said in a statement provided to J.
CSU spokesperson Hazel Kelly told J. that the “safety of students, staff and faculty is a top priority” and that the chancellor has been getting updates from campus officials about incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia and “how they are responding.”
Caucus members plan to keep a close eye on campus climate for Jewish students, Wiener said.
“We’re not just going to send a letter, then pack up and go home,” he said. “We’re going to be monitoring this very closely on an ongoing basis and we’re not going to let it go.”
Yaelle Shaye, a UCLA sophomore who describes herself as “very Zionist,” told J. after a recent pro-Israel demonstration on campus that she’s been disappointed by the silence of her university’s professors.
“Pretty much all my teachers pretend like nothing’s happening,” she said, “And if they do, they’re not really pro-Israel. I think the ones that are — they’re not so eager to express their opinions.”