The first draft of a document aimed at curbing anti-Semitism on University of California campuses was rejected Thursday by UC regents, in part because it didn’t include the phrase “anti-Semitism.”
Though students and others have chronicled incidents described as anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim throughout the UC system, the document written by UC staffers was sparked by recent anti-Semitic incidents.
Many of the speakers during the regents meeting Thursday at UC Irvine cited specific examples of prejudice. One UCLA student, Arielle Mokhtarzadeh, spoke about finding the words “Hitler did nothing wrong” etched on a table on campus.
“I hope I’m not the only one feeling chilled about that,“ regent Bonnie Reiss said afterward.
But the draft of a document to clarify UC’s principles of tolerance for all people was deemed meaningless, in part because it didn’t address the specific concerns of the people who brought the issue to the regents.
“What is this? It doesn’t say anything about anything,” said Regent Norman Pattiz.
The regents said Thursday they will create a new committee to write a new version of the document.
UC President Janet Napolitano said Thursday’s discussion was the beginning of a long conversation: “Just the fact that we are having this discussion is important in itself.”
The regents began considering a new policy last spring, following a number of high-profile incidents of anti-Semitism across the state.
At UCLA, for example, one student’s eligibility for a leadership position was questioned by other student leaders because she’s Jewish. At UC Berkeley, where the group Amcha Initiative documented 11 recent instances of anti-Semitism, a video emerged showing negative reaction to someone waving an Israeli flag while the same person waving an Islamic State flag drew no backlash. At UC Davis and other schools, students reported sightings of swastikas.
“We are asking for an acknowledgment that sometimes anti-Israel expression moves into anti-Semitism,” said Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a UC Santa Cruz lecturer and director of Amcha, a nonprofit dedicated to combating anti-Semitism.
More than 50 Jewish organizations have asked the UC system to adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism in its policy statement. On Thursday, a similar petition signed by nearly 3,000 students, alumni, faculty, parents and others was delivered to the Board of Regents.
The State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism covers most acts and speech that, among other things, demonize Israel or denies the country’s right to exist.
Pro-Palestinian organizations believe that definition could affect their free speech rights to criticize Israel.
“This is not about intolerance,” said Liz Jackson, an attorney with Palestine Legal, after the regents’ meeting. “This whole thing is about whether criticism of Israel will be permitted on campuses.”
