Here is today's Orange County Register story on the findings of the Dept. of Education Office of Civil Rights as to complaints of anti-Semitism on University of California campuses. I have added my comment in the reader thread. I have cut and pasted the whole article since the reader may have to login to the Register to read the link.
I might add that the writer, Scott Martindale, was supposed to cover last May's events at UCI. He had made contact with me for information on the week of anti-Israel events. As it turned out, I don't know if he showed up on campus or not.
I might add that the writer, Scott Martindale, was supposed to cover last May's events at UCI. He had made contact with me for information on the week of anti-Israel events. As it turned out, I don't know if he showed up on campus or not.
Published: Aug. 28, 2013 Updated: Aug. 29, 2013 11:25 a.m.
Text: 
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Next Article »U.S. dismisses UC Irvine anti-Semitic claims
The allegations of a hostile atmosphere for Jewish students at UC Irvine span more than a decade.
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IRVINE – Federal officials have dismissed claims that UC Irvine and two other University of California campuses allowed anti-Semitic atmospheres to flourish, deeming the situations described to be a “robust and discordant” part of college life.
The New York-based Zionist Organization of America alleged in civil-rights complaints filed in 2004 and 2008 that Jewish students at UC Irvine had been subjected to “pervasive hostility and intimidation on campus” for at least a decade, mostly by pro-Palestinian students and their supporters.
UC Irvine students Ryan Davis, right, and Russell Curry address supporters during a 2010 demonstration in support of the "Irvine 11." Federal officials have dismissed claims that UC Irvine and two other University of California schools allowed an anti-Semitic atmosphere to flourish on their campuses.
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Similar complaints were subsequently filed by Jewish activists on behalf of students at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights told the colleges in letters last week that the complaints were not “sufficiently serious” to establish an anti-Semitic environment.
“Conduct must be sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive as to limit or deny the student's ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program,” Zachary Pelchat of the Office of Civil Rights said in an Aug. 19 letter to UC Irvine.
Susan Tuchman, director of the Zionist Organization's Center for Law and Justice, expressed disappointment at the decision and said her group was considering its options.
“The way in which the situation is portrayed in the letters does not reflect the seriousness of the problems that those students endured for years,” Tuchman said.
The next step would be filing a federal lawsuit, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
In its complaint, the Zionist Organization documented instances of Jewish students called “slut” and “animal” during heated exchanges at pro-Palestinian campus events, of a camera “repeatedly pushed” in the face of a Jewish student journalist as she attempted to document a Palestinian event, and of a Jewish student who transferred to a new dorm after receiving “unwelcoming looks” from Muslim students.
At least 20 Jewish students at UC Irvine provided testimony to federal officials, Tuchman said. No students were named in the complaints.
Federal officials dismissed the Zionist Organization's original 2004 complaint in 2007, but the group appealed the decision twice. The second and final appeal was tossed out Aug. 21, two days after the group's 2008 complaint was dismissed.
“UC Irvine's Jewish student community is vibrant, growing, and actively engaged in a wide variety of activities on our diverse campus,” UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake said in a statement Wednesday. “We are pleased that these allegations have been dismissed and believe very strongly in our carefully and actively nurtured culture of inclusion.”
Berkeley attorney Liz Jackson, who helped represent pro-Palestinian students targeted in the complaint, called the decision a victory for the free exchange of ideas at colleges.
“There are a few students who will articulate concerns, but the vast majority of Zionist and Jewish students are not concerned about this anti-Semitic climate,” Jackson said. “It was manufactured to silence debate.”
Daniel Harris, executive director of the Irvine-based Hillel Foundation of Orange County, said UC Irvine and other O.C. colleges remain “good places” for Jewish students to go to school.
“Although we still have our challenges, these findings reinforce the impact that Hillel programs have on creating a positive climate for Jewish students on campus,” Harris said.
UC Irvine discord came to a dramatic head in 2010, when 11 Muslim students were arrested after they disrupted a speech at UC Irvine by the Israeli ambassador to the United States. Charges were dismissed against one student; the other 10 were found guilty by a Santa Ana jury and given community service.
The case sparked dueling campus demonstrations and also led to a months-long university suspension of UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union.
Late last year, pro-Palestinian student activists pushed UC Irvine's student government to approve a nonbinding resolution urging the university to financially divest from companies that profit from Israel's claim to Palestinian-occupied land. Although the resolution was passed, campus officials said they would continue to invest in the companies.
UC Irvine senior Erum Siddiqui, a political science and sociology major, said students are not as divided as it might seem.
“It's not like there's any hostility between students on campus,” said Siddiqui, 21, vice president of the UCI Muslim Student Union. “We talk and debate; we're passionate on issues like the occupation of Palestine.”
Still, she added, there was still room at UC Irvine to improve relations and understanding between the two parties.
“There's always more work to be done,” she said.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or smartindale@ocregister.com
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