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Federal agency finds ‘reasonable cause’ that Chicago university discriminated against Jewish, Israeli professors

“This exposes systemic antisemitism that the university had every opportunity to address and didn’t,” Deedee Bitran of StandWithUs stated.

University of Illinois Chicago campus. Credit: Teresa Grau Ros via Wikimedia Commons.
University of Illinois Chicago campus. Credit: Teresa Grau Ros via Wikimedia Commons.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found “reasonable cause to believe” that the University of Illinois Chicago discriminated against three Jewish and Israeli professors, StandWithUs said on Tuesday.

According to the pro-Israel nonprofit, the EEOC investigation found sufficient evidence that the professors were subjected to discriminatory harassment at UIC’s Chicago campus since at least January 2022, potentially violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (JNS sought comment from the university.)

StandWithUs supported each professor in their complaints with the commission.

“This exposes systemic antisemitism that the university had every opportunity to address and didn’t,” stated Deedee Bitran, senior counsel and director of the pro bono network at the Saidoff Legal Department at StandWithUs

“The faculty members did what the law asks of them,” she said. “Now it’s UIC’s turn.”

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