On March 10, Chancellor Julio Frenk announced the establishment of an “Initiative to Combat Antisemitism” in a campus-wide email. The email came after pressure from the Trump administration on universities due to a spike in antisemitic incidents related to protests over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Frenk’s email reiterated the university’s broader goals of ensuring that everyone has “the right to learn, teach, work and live in a community that is free from discrimination and bigotry.” He specifically recognized the persistent history of antisemitism and acknowledged that there remains “more to do,” even in the face of progress toward combating antisemitism.
The initiative also established an action group led by UCLA Anderson School of Management’s distinguished professor Stuart Gabriel. The action group “will bring together members of our Bruin community and civic leaders from diverse backgrounds, faiths and perspectives” and is responsible for reporting to Frenk directly.
Gabriel previously led the UCLA Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, which was established by then-Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt. Gabriel is also a visiting professor at the Coller School of Management at Tel Aviv University and is fluent in Hebrew.
The previous task force submitted a nearly 100-page report to UCLA detailing incidents of antisemitism from pro-Palestine protests in spring 2024, including policy and procedural recommendations to help tackle antisemitism incidents that spiked on campus.
Although the email strongly promoted continued efforts to combat antisemitism, it did not expand on details of the new action group created by Frenk. Gabriel did not respond to a request for comment on who would be a part of the new action group and what its specific goals were.
Shortly before the creation of this new initiative, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the University of California on March 5 to determine whether it violated aspects of the 1964 Civil Rights Act regarding antisemitism. The investigation mentioned not just antisemitism on campus but also in the workplace and employment at UCLA.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration cut $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University because of the school’s intense protests, which the administration deemed a failure of the university to take action against antisemitism. With UCLA also being one of the most aggressive sites of student protests in the country, the administration has made it clear that it may be next in line for federal funding cuts.
As UCLA moves forward with the new initiative, it will be important to closely monitor its success and policies, as well as to hold it accountable to make sure it represents the input of the UCLA community fairly and equitably.
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Featured Image via BruinLife Archives
