Dear President Yudof,
As faculty members at the University of California, we continue to fear for the safety and well-being of Jewish students on UC campuses. In June 2010, we organized a group of 12 Jewish organizations to sign a letter to you expressing our collective concern about the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students. In our letter we described the main manifestations of anti-Semitism on UC campuses and recommended a course of action which included the incorporation into university policy of language that defines anti-Semitism, singles it out from other forms of bigotry and discrimination, and provides clear guidelines for addressing anti-Semitic behavior. Unfortunately, you dismissed our concerns and ignored our recommendations.
Since then, anti-Semitic bigotry on UC campuses has not abated, and many members of the California Jewish community are deeply troubled by the University's inadequate response. More than 5,000 California Jews and their supporters have joined together in signing the enclosed letter to you. (Please see Attachment 1 for our letter).
The signatories include:
more than 70 rabbis of all denominations
more than 1,200 individuals who lead, work, or volunteer at local Jewish organizations
more than 3,200 members of Jewish organizations
more than 1,400 UC alumni and current students
more than 2,200 UC parents and family members
more than 230 UC faculty and staff members
(Please see Attachment 2 for a full list of signatories).
Several alumni who signed the letter commented that they had personally experienced anti-Semitic bigotry when they were students on UC campuses. For example, these signatories wrote:
"I was a student at UC Berkeley from 2006-2009 and encountered many threatening situations by the anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic community -- I never felt so afraid to reveal my Jewish or Israeli background. The amount of hatred on this particular issue ruined my experience in classes and I really hope other students like me will not need to feel this way. No one should ever be ashamed or afraid to reveal their background."
"This must be taken care of immediately. As a Jewish student on the UCSD campus, I experienced first-hand anti-Semitism and feel that this is a dire problem that is affecting the UC campuses."
"I went to UC Riverside for undergrad and UCLA for grad school. While anti-Israel sentiments were worse at UCR, I felt uncomfortable on both UC campuses, I was afraid to wear my star-of-David necklace, and hesitated to speak Hebrew out of fear that I would become a victim to Muslim and Palestinian groups."
Several parents who signed the letter were deeply troubled that their children experienced anti-Jewish bigotry on a UC campus. For example, these parents wrote:
"I am appalled when my children who graduated from Cal and UCLA each expressed their concern for their safety on these campuses. They felt intimidated and harassed by Palestinian students, in particular. Very little seems to be done to protect their rights and safety."
"My daughter attended UC Berkeley and personally witnessed the virulent hostility against Jewish students by SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine). She joined the pro-Israeli student activist group Tikvah in an effort to dispel and counterbalance the SJP propaganda. She can testify to the accuracy of the allegations brought by her classmate against UC Berkeley that the administration "did not effectively deal with anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation by Muslim and anti-Israel student groups, leading to a 'dangerous and threatening' environment for Jewish students."
"I am so relieved that my daughter has graduated from UCI and no longer has to walk through the gauntlet of annual hate fests. Had she and I known of the antisemitism at that campus, she would have chosen to attend any number of other universities, some with greater prestige, to which she was accepted."
"My daughter had to leave UC Santa Cruz because of the anti-Jewish environment. She felt sick being on campus. She now attends school in Israel."
Other parents expressed reluctance to send their children to the University of California because of the problem. For instance, one parent wrote:
"Even though our family has had multiple family members graduate from Cal, we will not be sending our children there due to the hostile environment."
Still others, who have previously donated to the University of California, commented that they were reluctant to donate more money until the problem of anti-Jewish bigotry is forcefully addressed. For instance, two donors wrote:
"I have been a regular donor to two campuses. During the past six months I have not donated and will not do so until this matter is resolved. I hold degrees from both campuses and have up until now have been proud to be a UC alum."
"I am already a six-figure donor to UCLA. Until this is resolved, no UC will get a cent from my family!"
(Please see Attachment 3 for a more comprehensive list of selected comments from UC Alumni, Parents, Donors, and others).
As you can see, on the issue of the safety of Jewish students on UC campuses, members of the Jewish community of California and their supporters will not be silent and cannot be ignored.
We look forward to receiving your response to the enclosed letter.
Sincerely,
Leila Beckwith
Professor Emeritus, University of California at Los Angeles
lbeckwit@ucla.edu
Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Lecturer, University of California at Santa Cruz
tbenjami@ucsc.edu
CC: University of California Chancellors
University of California Regents
University of California Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion (c/o Jesse Bernal)
California Governor Jerry Brown
BCC: Members and Supporters of the Jewish Community
September 19, 2011
Mr. Mark G. Yudof
President, University of California
1111 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
Dear President Yudof:
We are members and supporters of the California Jewish community – rabbis, cantors,
principals, teachers, alumni, parents, grandparents, family and friends of Jewish students
– who are deeply distressed by the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students on
many University of California campuses.
On June 28, 2010, twelve Jewish organizations wrote to you to urge you, the Chancellors,
and the Regents to address this serious problem. In your reply, you urged these Jewish
leaders to be patient and have faith in the ability of the newly-established Advisory
Councils on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion to address the problem.
However it has been over a year, and the Advisory Councils have recommended no
policies and issued no public statements informing the UC community about the problem
of anti-Semitism or how it will be addressed.
At the same time, evidence has mounted that there is a persistent and pervasively hostile,
discriminatory environment against Jewish students on several UC campuses. There is
now a lawsuit pending against UC Berkeley, from a Jewish student who was physically
assaulted by a Muslim student on that campus. Her lawsuit alleges that the administration
over the years did not effectively deal with anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation by
Muslim and anti-Israel student groups, leading to a “dangerous and threatening”
environment for Jewish students.
Further, a faculty member at UC Santa Cruz has filed a federal complaint alleging that
faculty and administrators on that campus have misused their official university positions
to promote a virulently anti-Israel political agenda that has created a hostile environment
for many Jewish students. The complaint is now being investigated by the U.S.
Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Moreover, the Olive Tree Initiative (OTI), an interfaith program touted by UC
administrators as a remedy to anti-Semitic bigotry and harassment, has been revealed as
deliberately exposing students, many of them Jewish, to a confirmed terrorist and leader
of Hamas, an organization whose stated mission is the murder of Jews and the destruction
of Israel. Yet even after it was revealed that students had not only met a Hamas leader but
also been instructed to cover up the meeting, the OTI was given prestigious awards and
generous funding by UC administrators.
More than a year after you urged Jewish leaders to have patience and trust, the problem
of anti-Semitic bigotry has not been adequately addressed on UC campuses. Now we, as
Jewish community members, urge you to address this problem effectively and promptly.
We ask the following:
1. Can we, the Jewish community, be given a timeline of when substantive measures to
address the problem of the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students will be taken
on UC campuses, including one or more of the following actions?
a) Define anti-Semitism and provide concrete examples in accordance with the EUMC
and U.S. State Department “Working Definition”;
b) Provide clear guidelines for reporting and resolving complaints about the harassment
and intimidation of Jewish students and for disciplining anti-Semitic behavior;
c) Incorporate these policies and practices on anti-Semitism into appropriate training for
students, faculty, administrators, and staff, consistent with best practices for addressing
other forms of discrimination, eg., racism and sexual harassment.
2. Can we, the Jewish community, be given assurance that the University of California
will issue no awards, funding, or recognition of programs, such as the Olive Tree
Initiative, which associate with organizations that call for the murder of Jews or the
elimination of the Jewish state?
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Members and Supporters of the California Jewish Community
(You will find a full list of signatories in Attachment 2)
CC: University of California Chancellors
University of California Regents
University of California Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion
California Governor Jerry Brown
As faculty members at the University of California, we continue to fear for the safety and well-being of Jewish students on UC campuses. In June 2010, we organized a group of 12 Jewish organizations to sign a letter to you expressing our collective concern about the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students. In our letter we described the main manifestations of anti-Semitism on UC campuses and recommended a course of action which included the incorporation into university policy of language that defines anti-Semitism, singles it out from other forms of bigotry and discrimination, and provides clear guidelines for addressing anti-Semitic behavior. Unfortunately, you dismissed our concerns and ignored our recommendations.
Since then, anti-Semitic bigotry on UC campuses has not abated, and many members of the California Jewish community are deeply troubled by the University's inadequate response. More than 5,000 California Jews and their supporters have joined together in signing the enclosed letter to you. (Please see Attachment 1 for our letter).
The signatories include:
more than 70 rabbis of all denominations
more than 1,200 individuals who lead, work, or volunteer at local Jewish organizations
more than 3,200 members of Jewish organizations
more than 1,400 UC alumni and current students
more than 2,200 UC parents and family members
more than 230 UC faculty and staff members
(Please see Attachment 2 for a full list of signatories).
Several alumni who signed the letter commented that they had personally experienced anti-Semitic bigotry when they were students on UC campuses. For example, these signatories wrote:
"I was a student at UC Berkeley from 2006-2009 and encountered many threatening situations by the anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic community -- I never felt so afraid to reveal my Jewish or Israeli background. The amount of hatred on this particular issue ruined my experience in classes and I really hope other students like me will not need to feel this way. No one should ever be ashamed or afraid to reveal their background."
"This must be taken care of immediately. As a Jewish student on the UCSD campus, I experienced first-hand anti-Semitism and feel that this is a dire problem that is affecting the UC campuses."
"I went to UC Riverside for undergrad and UCLA for grad school. While anti-Israel sentiments were worse at UCR, I felt uncomfortable on both UC campuses, I was afraid to wear my star-of-David necklace, and hesitated to speak Hebrew out of fear that I would become a victim to Muslim and Palestinian groups."
Several parents who signed the letter were deeply troubled that their children experienced anti-Jewish bigotry on a UC campus. For example, these parents wrote:
"I am appalled when my children who graduated from Cal and UCLA each expressed their concern for their safety on these campuses. They felt intimidated and harassed by Palestinian students, in particular. Very little seems to be done to protect their rights and safety."
"My daughter attended UC Berkeley and personally witnessed the virulent hostility against Jewish students by SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine). She joined the pro-Israeli student activist group Tikvah in an effort to dispel and counterbalance the SJP propaganda. She can testify to the accuracy of the allegations brought by her classmate against UC Berkeley that the administration "did not effectively deal with anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation by Muslim and anti-Israel student groups, leading to a 'dangerous and threatening' environment for Jewish students."
"I am so relieved that my daughter has graduated from UCI and no longer has to walk through the gauntlet of annual hate fests. Had she and I known of the antisemitism at that campus, she would have chosen to attend any number of other universities, some with greater prestige, to which she was accepted."
"My daughter had to leave UC Santa Cruz because of the anti-Jewish environment. She felt sick being on campus. She now attends school in Israel."
Other parents expressed reluctance to send their children to the University of California because of the problem. For instance, one parent wrote:
"Even though our family has had multiple family members graduate from Cal, we will not be sending our children there due to the hostile environment."
Still others, who have previously donated to the University of California, commented that they were reluctant to donate more money until the problem of anti-Jewish bigotry is forcefully addressed. For instance, two donors wrote:
"I have been a regular donor to two campuses. During the past six months I have not donated and will not do so until this matter is resolved. I hold degrees from both campuses and have up until now have been proud to be a UC alum."
"I am already a six-figure donor to UCLA. Until this is resolved, no UC will get a cent from my family!"
(Please see Attachment 3 for a more comprehensive list of selected comments from UC Alumni, Parents, Donors, and others).
As you can see, on the issue of the safety of Jewish students on UC campuses, members of the Jewish community of California and their supporters will not be silent and cannot be ignored.
We look forward to receiving your response to the enclosed letter.
Sincerely,
Leila Beckwith
Professor Emeritus, University of California at Los Angeles
lbeckwit@ucla.edu
Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Lecturer, University of California at Santa Cruz
tbenjami@ucsc.edu
CC: University of California Chancellors
University of California Regents
University of California Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion (c/o Jesse Bernal)
California Governor Jerry Brown
BCC: Members and Supporters of the Jewish Community
September 19, 2011
Mr. Mark G. Yudof
President, University of California
1111 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
Dear President Yudof:
We are members and supporters of the California Jewish community – rabbis, cantors,
principals, teachers, alumni, parents, grandparents, family and friends of Jewish students
– who are deeply distressed by the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students on
many University of California campuses.
On June 28, 2010, twelve Jewish organizations wrote to you to urge you, the Chancellors,
and the Regents to address this serious problem. In your reply, you urged these Jewish
leaders to be patient and have faith in the ability of the newly-established Advisory
Councils on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion to address the problem.
However it has been over a year, and the Advisory Councils have recommended no
policies and issued no public statements informing the UC community about the problem
of anti-Semitism or how it will be addressed.
At the same time, evidence has mounted that there is a persistent and pervasively hostile,
discriminatory environment against Jewish students on several UC campuses. There is
now a lawsuit pending against UC Berkeley, from a Jewish student who was physically
assaulted by a Muslim student on that campus. Her lawsuit alleges that the administration
over the years did not effectively deal with anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation by
Muslim and anti-Israel student groups, leading to a “dangerous and threatening”
environment for Jewish students.
Further, a faculty member at UC Santa Cruz has filed a federal complaint alleging that
faculty and administrators on that campus have misused their official university positions
to promote a virulently anti-Israel political agenda that has created a hostile environment
for many Jewish students. The complaint is now being investigated by the U.S.
Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Moreover, the Olive Tree Initiative (OTI), an interfaith program touted by UC
administrators as a remedy to anti-Semitic bigotry and harassment, has been revealed as
deliberately exposing students, many of them Jewish, to a confirmed terrorist and leader
of Hamas, an organization whose stated mission is the murder of Jews and the destruction
of Israel. Yet even after it was revealed that students had not only met a Hamas leader but
also been instructed to cover up the meeting, the OTI was given prestigious awards and
generous funding by UC administrators.
More than a year after you urged Jewish leaders to have patience and trust, the problem
of anti-Semitic bigotry has not been adequately addressed on UC campuses. Now we, as
Jewish community members, urge you to address this problem effectively and promptly.
We ask the following:
1. Can we, the Jewish community, be given a timeline of when substantive measures to
address the problem of the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students will be taken
on UC campuses, including one or more of the following actions?
a) Define anti-Semitism and provide concrete examples in accordance with the EUMC
and U.S. State Department “Working Definition”;
b) Provide clear guidelines for reporting and resolving complaints about the harassment
and intimidation of Jewish students and for disciplining anti-Semitic behavior;
c) Incorporate these policies and practices on anti-Semitism into appropriate training for
students, faculty, administrators, and staff, consistent with best practices for addressing
other forms of discrimination, eg., racism and sexual harassment.
2. Can we, the Jewish community, be given assurance that the University of California
will issue no awards, funding, or recognition of programs, such as the Olive Tree
Initiative, which associate with organizations that call for the murder of Jews or the
elimination of the Jewish state?
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Members and Supporters of the California Jewish Community
(You will find a full list of signatories in Attachment 2)
CC: University of California Chancellors
University of California Regents
University of California Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion
California Governor Jerry Brown
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