San Francisco State University and San José State University, both public schools, have “reportedly failed to acknowledge or meaningfully respond to cases of antisemitic harassment on campus, seeming, in some instances, even to condone such abhorrent acts,” the U.S. Department of Education said on Thursday.
The department said that it is probing both schools, which educate some 60,000 students collectively.
“The same California leaders, who wax eloquent about their commitment to ‘equity’ and ‘social justice,’ appear to turn their backs on violent, harmful acts of antisemitic intimidation and harassment,” stated Kimberly Richey, U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights. “We will investigate these allegations, ensure the safety of Jewish students and protect the right of every student in America to an education free from discrimination.”
There is a climate of “intimidation, exclusion and fear,” according to Jewish students at San Francisco State, the Education Department said. It added that it received reports of professors at the school creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.
The department “has been notified of antisemitic graffiti on campus, attempted break-ins targeting Jewish students and events featuring extremists with terrorist group ties hosted by the Arab and Muslim ethnicities and diasporas program,” the department stated.
Bobby King, director of communications for San Francisco State University, told JNS that the university is aware of the department’s investigation.
“Antisemitism and discrimination have no place at SFSU,” he told JNS. “We take the concerns raised by members of our Jewish community seriously and remain committed to ensuring that every member of our community can study, teach, work and participate in university life free from discrimination and harassment prohibited by law and university policy.”
Jewish students at San José State say that they have been “threatened, shunned and made to feel unwelcome in classrooms,” and since Oct. 7, anti-Israel protests that disrupt classes and attacks against Jewish students have increased, according to the Education Department.
Michelle Smith McDonald, senior director of strategic communications for San José State, told JNS that there is a “misleading implication” in the department’s announcement.
The department stated that the university’s vice president for student affairs and former interim chief diversity officer allegedly distinguished in an email between “good Jews” and “bad Jews” based on their views of the Israeli government.
The department attributed “a quote to a former SJSU administrator,” Smith McDonald told JNS. “This statement was never made by any representative of the university.” (JNS sought comment from the U.S. Education Department.)
“The university treats antisemitic incidents with the utmost seriousness and has taken numerous actions that prioritize the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community,” Smith McDonald said. “The university has consistently and repeatedly denounced antisemitism.”
