UCLA still denies responsibility for Jew Exclusion Zone University insists it did not break the law when it helped ban Jews from parts of campus

 WASHINGTON – UCLA argued during a federal court hearing yesterday that it did not break the law when it helped a group of antisemitic agitators ban Jews from campus. In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, a federal judge ordered UCLA last year to stop assisting the agitators, calling the exclusion of Jews from campus “abhorrent” and “unimaginable.” But the University has responded by continuing to insist in court that it bears no responsibility for the rampant antisemitism it facilitated. 

“Jews at UCLA deserve better than a university administration that speaks out of both sides of its mouth,” said Yitzchok Frankel, father of four and a third-year law student at UCLA. “UCLA should own up to the harm it caused and promise it won’t happen again. We hope the court will ensure that no Jew ever again faces this kind of vicious targeting.” 

Last year, federal judge Mark C. Scarsi ordered UCLA to stop assisting antisemitic agitators who set up a Jew Exclusion Zone on campus, blocking Jews from accessing classes, the library, and other critical areas of campus. UCLA helped the agitators by providing metal barriers, stationing security to shoo Jews away, and catering to the wishes of the agitators instead of ensuring safe passage for Jewish students. These actions were documented in a report filed by UCLA’s own Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias, which admitted the University had fostered an antisemitic environment. Indeed, the Task Force condemned UCLA’s behavior as “de facto or structural antisemitism” and “fail[ing] in its legal obligation to protect First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion.” In public releases, UCLA praised the work of the Task Force and commissioned a new “Initiative to Combat Antisemitism” to implement the Task Force’s recommendations.  

Unfortunately, when it came time to own up to its mistakes, UCLA refused. Instead, it argued in court on Monday that it bore no responsibility for its actions facilitating a Jew Exclusion Zone on campus. But that claim directly contradicts both Judge Scarsi’s ruling and the findings of its own task force report. 

“UCLA’s public acts of contrition ring hollow when its attorneys continue to argue in court that the University bears no responsibility for facilitating a Jew Exclusion Zone,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and an attorney for the students and professor. “UCLA knows it broke the law, and no amount of deflection will change that. We are confident the court will ensure that Jewish students at UCLA will never again face exclusion or segregation on their own campus.”  

A ruling from the court is expected in the coming weeks. 

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at  [email protected] or 202-349-7219.