On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief supporting Jewish students and a professor in their lawsuit against UCLA for helping anti-Semitic activist agitators block Jews from the campus.
“In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, a federal judge ordered UCLA last year to stop assisting the agitators, calling the exclusion of Jews from campus ‘abhorrent’ and ‘unimaginable,’” The Becket Fund reported. “The students and professor recently asked the court to make its ruling permanent so that Jews will never again face antisemitic exclusion.”
The DOJ brief states, “Even though UCLA may not dispute that the antisemitic campus environment at UCLA last year was ‘unimaginable’ and ‘abhorrent,’ the Individual Defendants moved to dismiss this action to evade liability for what happened on the campus that they are supposed to lead and protect. The United States has a significant interest in the proper application of federal laws that ensure equal access to educational opportunities and facilities.”
“The United States, therefore, has a strong interest in ensuring the proper application of Title VI, particularly when the Court has already found that in 2024 on UCLA’s campus ‘Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith,’” the brief continues. “Additionally, as described in the White House’s Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, it is the policy of the United States to combat antisemitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools to prosecute.”
“UCLA helped the agitators by providing metal barriers, stationing security to shoo Jews away, and catering to the wishes of the agitators instead of ensuring safe passage for Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” Becket noted. “These actions were documented in a report filed by UCLA’s own Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias, which admitted the University had fostered an antisemitic environment.”
“Jews should never have to fear for their safety when they step foot on a college campus,” said Yitzchok Frankel, the father of four and third-year law student at UCLA who filed the initial lawsuit. “I’m grateful that the federal government has condemned UCLA for kowtowing to antisemites, and I hope this sends a clear message to other universities that think they can do the same.”
“DOJ has thrown down the gauntlet: if university administrators aid and abet mistreatment of Jews, they will pay the price,” Mark Rienzi, president of Becket, stated. “This is a wake-up call for every university that allows antisemitic hatred to fester unchecked. No Jewish student or professor should ever again face this kind of terror on their own campus.”
