The University of California, Berkeley has agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees and revise its nondiscrimination policies to settle a lawsuit filed by two Jewish groups over alleged antisemitic incidents following protests related to the Hamas-Israel war in 2023. The settlement prohibits student organizations from banning Zionist speakers and mandates anti-discrimination training for staff and faculty.
Key Takeaways
The University of California, Berkeley has agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees and revise its nondiscrimination policies to settle a lawsuit alleging antisemitic incidents on campus. The settlement prohibits student organizations from banning Zionist speakers and mandates anti-discrimination training for staff and faculty.
- UC Berkeley agrees to pay $1 million in legal fees to Jewish groups
- University will prohibit student bylaws that ban Zionist speakers
- Mandatory anti-discrimination training for staff and faculty is included in the settlement
- Settlement follows allegations of antisemitic incidents during pro-Palestinian protests
According to Los Angeles Times, UC Berkeley will revamp its online nondiscrimination page to clarify that it considers the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when evaluating discrimination complaints. The IHRA definition states that antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.
Reuters reports that the settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education in November 2023. The lawsuit alleged harassment and mistreatment of Jewish students and faculty following Hamas' attack on Israel. The settlement includes mandatory antisemitism and anti-discrimination training for faculty and staff, an improved process to handle complaints, and hiring an officer to ensure compliance with U.S. laws prohibiting discrimination.
The Brandeis Center, which filed the suit, stated that the agreement is about free speech and fairness. The case included several discrimination complaints by Jewish community members involving the law school, where student groups had passed bylaws banning the invitation of campus speakers who were Zionists and supporters of Israel.
UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof said the settlement reflects the university's long-standing values and objectives when it comes to combating antisemitic expression, harassment, and discrimination. The Anti-Defamation League described Jewish life at UC Berkeley as 'excellent' in its latest Campus Antisemitism Report Card.
The settlement also includes a commitment from Berkeley to adopt mandatory anti-discrimination and antisemitism training for staff and faculty and beef up its process for handling discrimination complaints. In December, UC Berkeley agreed to pay an Israeli sociologist and dance researcher $60,000 for an incident in the fall of 2023 in which the instructor said she was not invited back to teach a course despite the success of the class.
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