Complaint Filed With DOE Against University of Washington

The Louis D Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law has filed a complaint with the Dept. of Education, Office of Civil Rights alleging that the university has failed to take action to protect Jewish students in the face of repeated acts of anti-Semitism on campus, springing from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The complaint can be accessed here.

"Jewish students at the University of Washington (“UW” or “the University”) have been subjected to severe and persistent harassment and discrimination on the basis of their shared ancestry and ethnicity, which has created a hostile environment on campus. Jewish students have been threatened with physical harm, excluded and forced out of areas on campus they are entitled to access, and unable to attend class. Vandals have repeatedly covered the campus with anti-Semitic graffiti calling for violence against Zionists. Just two weeks ago, aggressive anti-Israel protestors succeeded in shutting down a Board of Regents meeting at the University, where Jewish members of the University and community were testifying about antiSemitism on campus, thereby further contributing to the ongoing hostile climate at UW. Despite its knowledge about these and other anti-Semitic incidents, the University has not taken meaningful steps to address the hostile climate for Jewish students at UW." 

-From Introduction

Obviously, I applaud this action and hope that many more will follow. Maximum pressure must be put on these universities and their officials to do their job and protect all their students. If they refuse to do their duty, they do not deserve to remain in their positions, and their institutions deserve no public funding or private donations.