The University of California, Berkeley was sued on Tuesday by Jewish groups who said it has become a hotbed of “unchecked” antisemitism, including at its elite law school. According to a complaint by the nonprofit Louis D. Brandeis Center, UC Berkeley‘s leadership turns a blind eye to the long-festering problem of antisemitism on campus, even after displays of harassment and physical violence against Jews following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
The complaint filed in San Francisco federal court is among the first against a major university since the war between Israel and Hamas sparked protests on many college campuses. It described two protesters striking the head of a Jewish undergraduate draped in an Israeli flag with a metal water bottle, and how a faculty member allegedly cut short a class for 1,000 freshmen to go on an 18-minute anti-Israel rant. The complaint said “no fewer” than 23 law school groups have anti-Jewish policies. In a statement, UC Berkeley said it has long been committed to confronting antisemitism, and that while it can’t censor offensive speech it recognised that some demonstrations have been “frightening” to Jewish students.