WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights launched an investigation into a complaint of a hostile environment for Jewish students at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"The rhetoric — which demonizes Israel, compares contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis, calls for the dismantling of the Jewish state, and holds Israel to an impossible double standard — crosses the line into anti-Semitism according to the standards employed by our own government," said the complaint filed in June 2009 by Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, who teaches Hebrew at the university.
According to the Zionist Organization of America, the Office of Civil Rights launched its investigation March 7 — the first probe since it announced last October that it would extend Title VI protections to victims of anti-religious bias as well as those of ethnic and racial bias. A six-year campaign led by the ZOA spurred the Title VI change.
"Importantly, OCR is showing an understanding and appreciation of the fact that anti-Zionist and anti-Israel sentiment can cross the line into anti-Semitism, that such sentiment can create a hostile and threatening environment for Jewish students, and that publicly funded schools are obligated under Title VI to fix the problem," ZOA President Morton Klein said in a statement.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
