The University of California, Los Angeles is rolling out an initiative to combat antisemitism, the school’s chancellor, Julio Frenk, said on Monday.
“Antisemitism has no place in our society—and no place at UCLA,” read the statement. “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,” he added.
Multiple Title VI claims have been launched against the public school. During the height of anti-Israel protests and tent encampments on university campuses in the spring of 2024, Jewish students at UCLA were blocked from entering parts of campus—an act a federal judge stated was “unimaginable” and “abhorrent.”
The initiative will see an “action group” of community and civic leaders from “diverse backgrounds, faiths and perspectives” that will report directly to Frenk. It will implement recommendations by UCLA’s task force to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, led by professor Stuart Gabriel at the university’s Anderson School of Management, who was also tapped to chair the action group.
“These recommendations include enhancing relevant training and education; improving the complaint system; assuring enforcement of current and new laws and policies; and cooperating with stakeholders,” according to the chancellor’s statement.
Dan Gold, executive director of Hillel at UCLA, told JNS that the chancellor’s new direction “inspires, in our community, a feeling of deep appreciation and hope for the future. We share his vision that UCLA will become a place where all students, faculty and staff can learn and express themselves without fear or discrimination.”
