The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Monday announced a new initiative to combat antisemitism.
The announcement by Chancellor Julio Frenk comes amid the Trump administration’s steps to crack down on anti-Israel protesters on US campuses.
In a statement announcing the initiative, Frenk said, “Antisemitism has a distinct and troubling history, characterized by its persistence across time and space, its adaptability to different contexts and its horrific expression in the Holocaust. Antisemitism not only threatens Jewish communities; it also corrodes the bonds of mutual respect that safeguard the dignity — and ensure the safety — of all members of a society. Addressing antisemitism in its unique forms is therefore an essential requirement if we are to make progress toward our broader commitment to combat hatred and injustice in all its manifestations.”
He stressed, “Antisemitism has no place in our society — and no place at UCLA. It threatens the mission of academia and is antithetical to the values that define the very essence of a university. Everyone deserves the right to learn, teach, work and live in a community that is free from discrimination and bigotry. With honest reflection, it is clear that while we have made progress in addressing antisemitism, we have more to do in our shared goal of eradicating it in its entirety.”
The Initiative to Combat Antisemitism, said Frenk, “will bring together members of our Bruin community and civic leaders from diverse backgrounds, faiths and perspectives. This will be a standing initiative — reporting directly to me — and will have the support it requires to achieve our goals.”
Through this initiative, he stated, UCLA will implement recommendations of the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, including enhancing relevant training and education, improving the complaint system, assuring enforcement of current and new laws and policies, and cooperating with stakeholders.
Like other universities, UCLA has seen an uptick in anti-Israel activities on its campus since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza which followed.
At least 25 people were arrested at UCLA in June after setting up multiple pro-Palestinian Arab encampments on campus that police said were unlawful.
As a result of the encampments, the group damaged a fountain, spray-painted brick walkways, tampered with fire safety equipment, damaged patio furniture, stripped wire from electrical fixtures and vandalized vehicles.
A day earlier, A Chabad Lubavitch rabbi at UCLA was assaulted by the anti-Israel activists. According to Shabbos Kestenbaum, an American Jew, the students called their victim a "Zionist pedophile rabbi," and told him to "go back to Poland."
In August, UCLA accepted a ruling that found it did not ensure equal access to the school for all students, including Jews.