Judge Orders Penn to Share Jewish Employee Data in Discrimination Probe

A federal judge ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to multiple reports, U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert ruled that while Penn must comply with most of the subpoena, it does not have to reveal any employee's affiliation with a specific group or provide information about three Jewish-affiliated groups: MEOR, Penn Hillel, and Chabad Lubavitch House.

The judge set a deadline of May 1 for compliance. Employees can refuse to participate in the investigation, but the EEOC maintains it needs direct communication to gather evidence of discrimination. The university plans to appeal, citing concerns over employee privacy and First Amendment rights.

A spokesperson for Penn stated that the school is committed to addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. The investigation was prompted by several incidents, including antisemitic obscenities shouted at a Jewish student life center, a Nazi swastika painted on an academic building, and hateful graffiti left outside a fraternity. The EEOC claimed in court filings that Penn's workplace is 'replete with antisemitism' and argued that identifying witnesses or victims is essential for determining the hostility of the work environment.

The judge also criticized comparisons made by the university and others who opposed the subpoena, which likened the EEOC's efforts to protect Jewish employees from antisemitism to the Holocaust and the Nazis' compilation of 'lists of Jews.' Pappert called such comparisons 'unfortunate and inappropriate.'