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UCLA Faces DOJ Lawsuit Over Campus Antisemitism · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We're launching
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region. Visit clockworkmedia.org slash MA today. We
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  Speaker 1: begin with significant developments in campus antisemitism. According to the
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  Speaker 1: Daily Bruin, the University of California Board of Regents is
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  Speaker 1: asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the
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  Speaker 1: Department of Justice. The lawsuit alleges that UCLA allowed discrimination
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  Speaker 1: and antisemitism against Israeli and Jewish employees and students, particularly
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  Speaker 1: during the spring 2024 Palestine Solidarity encampment. The DOJ claimed
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  Speaker 1: the encampment featured antisemitic chants and posters and excluded Jewish people.
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  Speaker 1: The UC acknowledged in its motion that some employees were
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  Speaker 1: exposed to antisemitism on campus following the protests, but asked
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  Speaker 1: the judge to dismiss the suit. citing the university's efforts
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  Speaker 1: to address discrimination. The DOJ had launched an investigation into
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  Speaker 1: the UC system in March 2025 over these allegations. We
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  Speaker 1: turn now to political rhetoric and a controversy involving a
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  Speaker 1: Michigan Senate candidate. Newsweek reports that an advertisement supporting Michigan
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  Speaker 1: Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, has been accused of antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: for insinuating that Jews or the Jewish state are responsible
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  Speaker 1: for the economic misfortunes of ordinary Americans, echoing historical antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: accusations regarding economic suffering. The ad, circulated by Rebellion Pack,
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  Speaker 1: blames rising grocery prices on U.S. aid to Israel. Letters
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  Speaker 1: to the editor in the New York Post called the message,
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  Speaker 1: vicious antisemitism. World Israel News reports that El-Said's campaign distanced
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  Speaker 1: itself from the ad, but initially stopped short of explicitly
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  Speaker 1: condemning its content as antisemitic. This response drew criticism from
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  Speaker 1: various groups, including the Republican Jewish Coalition and Democratic Rep.
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  Speaker 1: Dan Goldman of New York, who demanded an unequivocal condemnation.
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  Speaker 1: The Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned the advertisement as
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  Speaker 1: a case study in anti-Semitism. Elsaid later apologized to Michigan
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Democrats for not immediately condemning the ad. His campaign
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  Speaker 1: spokeswoman stated the ad was not affiliated with the campaign
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  Speaker 1: and and that El-Sayed was focused on opposing economic policies,
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  Speaker 1: according to World Israel News. In the UK, BBC News
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  Speaker 1: reports that three Birmingham Labour MPs are demanding the city's
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  Speaker 1: Green Party disown, a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism,
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  Speaker 1: threatening the city's power-sharing coalition. The motion, adopted by the
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  Speaker 1: Green Party, supports a single democratic Palestinian state in all
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  Speaker 1: of historic Palestine, and describes Zionism as an ideology supporting
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  Speaker 1: an ethno-nationalist Jewish state. Critics, including the Labour MPs, called
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  Speaker 1: the motion abhorrent and said it echoes anti-Semitic movements. Birmingham
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  Speaker 1: Greens stated in a release that their councillors stand against
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  Speaker 1: rising anti-Semitism and that Jewish residents have an absolute right
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  Speaker 1: to feel safe and valued. The party's statement added that
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  Speaker 1: they do not believe opposition to genocide, ethnic cleansing, or
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  Speaker 1: apartheid conflicts with supporting Jewish life. Turning to policy responses,
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  Speaker 1: Cleveland Jewish News reports that Mayor Andrzej Piotrczyk of Pielansk, Poland,
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  Speaker 1: signed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA, Declaration Against Antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: The signing took place on Monday, October 27, 2026, the
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  Speaker 1: 84th anniversary of the liquidation of the local ghetto. Israel's
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  Speaker 1: ambassador to Poland, Jakub Finkelstein, attended the event. the IHRA
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  Speaker 1: working definition for antisemitism includes contemporary phenomena such as the
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  Speaker 1: demonization of the Jewish state. In advocacy, the Board of
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  Speaker 1: Deputies of British Jews, according to their reporting, has launched
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  Speaker 1: an expanded employer's guide to Jews and Judaism. The guide
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  Speaker 1: offers practical support for employers to understand Jewish employees and
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  Speaker 1: create inclusive workplaces, aiming to combat workplace antisemitism. The initiative,
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  Speaker 1: part of the Bodhi at Work program, was welcomed by
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  Speaker 1: government and business leaders. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds stated it
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  Speaker 1: will help create workplaces where Jewish colleagues feel safe and valued.
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  Speaker 1: Lord Mann, HM Government's independent advisor on antisemitism, called it,
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  Speaker 1: one of the most significant initiatives of recent years. We
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  Speaker 1: also mark eight years since the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. JNS.org
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  Speaker 1: reports that Pittsburgh held a public ceremony this week to
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  Speaker 1: commemorate the October 27, 2018 mass shooting at the Tree
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  Speaker 1: of Life or El Simcha congregation, where 11 Jewish worshippers
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  Speaker 1: were killed. Volunteers also participated in charitable activities, including serving
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  Speaker 1: meals and cleaning Jewish cemeteries, as part of ongoing remembrance efforts. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: in community response and restitution, JTA reports that two Jewish
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  Speaker 1: ritual textiles, looted by Nazis during Kristallnacht 88 years ago,
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  Speaker 1: have been returned to Berlin from an Arizona synagogue. a
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  Speaker 1: Holocaust survivor acquired the items in post-war Germany and brought
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  Speaker 1: them to Phoenix. After remaining with Temple High in Phoenix
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  Speaker 1: for decades, the Torah Wimple and Ark Curtain were returned
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  Speaker 1: to Berlin in a ceremony attended by community members and officials.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and
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  Speaker 1: the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.