Jewish Student Assaulted Twice At Berkeley Campus: Federal Complaint

BERKELEY, CA — A pro-Israel nonprofit has filed a civil rights complaint against the University of California, Berkeley, alleging that an “identifiably Jewish” student was assaulted during on-campus demonstrations supporting Palestine twice in recent years, according to a news release.

StandWithUs Saidoff Legal and the student filed the Title VI complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, the nonprofit announced Tuesday.

The first assault occurred Oct. 16, 2023, at the hands of masked aggressors, and the second happened the following year at another protest supporting Palestine, according to the news release. In both incidents, the student reported the assaults to campus police who refused to investigate or confront the attackers, the news release said.

“The same Jewish student was assaulted twice on UC Berkeley’s campus in one year, and both times, the administration and campus police refused to act,” Yael Lerman, director of the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department, said in the news release. “UC Berkeley is not just ignoring antisemitic violence — it is enabling it.”

The complaint makes note of Executive Order 14188, issued Jan. 25, which identifies denial of access, intimidation and assault as examples of antisemitic discrimination requiring interventiion, the news release said.

READ MORE: Federal Investigation Of Alleged UC Berkeley Antisemitism

“UC Berkeley has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to confronting antisemitism as part of our support for a campus community where all can feel safe, respected, and welcome regardless of their origins, identities, beliefs, or perspectives,” Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of the university’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs, said in an email Tuesday.

“So, too, is the university committed to compliance with, and enforcement of the rules, laws, and policies that prohibit identity-based harassment and discrimination on the campus.”

Moguloff noted the 2015 creation of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Jewish Student Life and Campus Climate and the university’s Antisemitism Education Initiative, adding all incoming students receive antisemitism education.