On Monday, U.S. Judge Mark C. Scarsi ordered the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to develop a plan to protect Jewish students from antisemitic incidents on campus and to ensure they are protected from discrimination.
The order mandates that UCLA collaborate with the attorneys representing the Jewish plaintiffs in the case, who are from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Clement & Murphy PLLC.
UCLA must submit its proposal by August 5.
As reported earlier, UCLA allowed a large encampment on campus in April that obstructed Jewish students and others from accessing public areas, including classrooms, violating their civil rights.
Jewish students filed a lawsuit against UCLA to protect their civil rights. In response, the university acknowledged installing steel barriers around the antisemitic, pro-Palestinian encampment but claimed the barriers were intended to prevent its expansion.
In a press release, the Becket Fund stated:
“UCLA tried to force me to choose between being a student or being a Jew,” said Yitzchok Frankel, a rising third-year law student at UCLA. “I appreciate the chance to have my day in court, and I look forward to being able to return to campus safely next month.”
Yitzchok Frankel is a law student and father of four who faced antisemitic harassment last semester simply for wearing a kippah and who was forced to abandon his regular routes through campus because of the [so-called by the plaintiffs] Jew Exclusion Zone. Frankel detailed how UCLA’s continued failures have forced him to cancel plans on campus with his family and to forgo opportunities to mentor incoming Jewish students on campus during orientation week.
Eden Shemuelian, another law student, has also had to avoid using campus facilities and participating in law school orientation events because of UCLA’s continuing failures to ensure the safety and equal access of Jewish students.
“It’s disgusting that a prestigious American university would aid and abet antisemitic agitators who harass and segregate Jewish students,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and an attorney for the students. “UCLA’s behavior needs to change, and we look forward to working out an appropriate plan that protects Jewish students on campus.”
The case is Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, filed in the Central District of California, Western Division – Los Angeles, under case number 2:24-CV-4702-MCS.
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