LOS ANGELES–Three Jewish students have taken legal action against UCLA, accusing the university of allowing a hostile environment for Jewish students to develop on campus. They claim that this atmosphere culminated in a protest encampment that effectively barred Jewish students from accessing key campus areas.
The lawsuit, filed by Yitzchok Frankel, Joshua Ghayoum, and Eden Shemuelian, describes a disturbing series of events following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. The students argue that UCLA officials ignored rising antisemitic incidents, leading to the creation of what they call a “Jew Exclusion Zone” in April 2024.
According to the complaint, activists set up barricades in Royce Quad, a central part of the UCLA campus, chanting antisemitic slogans like “death to the Jews” and blocking access to vital facilities like Powell Library and Royce Hall. The students allege that those who wanted to pass through the area were forced to denounce Israel and support the activists’ demands.
“The administration’s failure to protect Jewish students is not only wrong, it’s illegal,” the complaint states.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block acknowledged the encampment and the disruptions it caused in a letter to the campus community, but he emphasized the university’s commitment to upholding free speech. Despite this, he admitted that many students, especially Jewish students, felt “bullied, threatened, and afraid.”
The plaintiffs, represented by attorneys from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Clement & Murphy, PLLC, argue that UCLA’s response was insufficient. They highlight incidents where Jewish students were harassed and blocked from accessing campus facilities, with university officials allegedly doing little to intervene. The lawsuit claims that university security personnel were told to stand down and even facilitated the activists’ exclusionary practices.
The students are seeking immediate legal action to prevent future discrimination and to hold university administrators accountable. They cite several legal grounds, including the Equal Protection Clause, the Free Exercise Clause, and federal civil rights laws that ensure equal access to educational facilities.
This lawsuit is part of a larger concern about rising antisemitism on college campuses across the U.S. As tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict spill into academic settings, universities are struggling to balance free speech with the need to protect all students.
In response to the lawsuit, UCLA reiterated its commitment to fighting antisemitism and ensuring student safety. The university announced the creation of a new Office of Campus Safety to oversee security and promised to review its policies.
The complaint in Frankle v. Regents of UCLA (filed 6/5/2024) is available here: https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20240605222051/Complaint-in-Frankel-v.-Regents-of-UCLA.pdf