Federal investigation opened following complaint of antisemitism at UIUC

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Federal investigation opened following complaint of antisemitism at UIUC

November 18th, 2020

Awake Goy

The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into a complaint of unrelenting antisemitic harassment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), submitted on behalf of UIUC’s Jewish students.

The good news comes as a relief to many on campus, who claim to have experienced antisemitic and anti-Zionist harassment in alarming increasing rates over the past five years.

The federal investigation launched by the OCR will examine the complaint alleging numerous antisemitic and anti-Zionist instances at UIUC, including swastikas being found on campus several times, Jewish ritual items such as menorahs and mezuzahs being vandalized, windows of Jewish fraternity houses being smashed by bricks, and frequent harassment by members and supporters of Students for Justice in Palestine at UIUC.

The complaint also claims that UIUC has allowed a hostile environment to proliferate on its campus in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It describes how on different occasions, UIUC employees have been complicit in fostering a hostile environment on campus.

“Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to antisemitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long,” said Alyza D. Lewin, President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which helped prepare the complaint.

“We are very appreciative of OCR’s careful review of the complaint and correct determination of the necessity of a thorough and comprehensive investigation. This significant and critical development reaffirms the seriousness of the harassment and discrimination Jewish students face on a regular basis, and the importance of ongoing action by the university,” she added.

Mark Rotenberg, vice president for University Initiatives and Legal Affairs at Hillel International, which also helped draft the complaint, expressed appreciation for the important step taken by OCR, stressing that “all Jewish college students deserve the right to learn and live in a safe, welcoming environment, free of antisemitism and anti-Israel harassment.”

Rotenberg’s comments were reflected in statements made by several other universities following OCR’s announced investigation. Williams College, the University of North Carolina, Duke University and NYU all agreed to implement steps to combat rising antisemitic harassment and discrimination threatening Jewish students on their campuses.

On Monday, UIUC issued a statement expressing its commitment to allowing all students to express their Jewish and Zionist identity without facing discrimination during university sponsored activities, as well as during other campus activities.

The university also promised to work with the Jewish community to find and create concrete solutions. While Jewish groups on campus noted that the “statement and the commitment it demonstrates is important,” they added that “it is only a first step” and they “look forward to ongoing collaborative work with the Chancellor and his team to convert the objectives… into action.”

Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel from the UIUC’s Chabad Center for Jewish Life noted that “with OCR opening an investigation, we hope that both of these actions, working simultaneously, will create a campus where Jewish students and all students can feel safe and at home.”

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