Federal Antisemitism Complaint Filed Against Cal Poly

Jewish on Campus, Brandeis Center Allege California School Willfully Ignored Severe Antisemitic Harassment & Intimidation, Urge Feds to Intervene

According to the complaint filed today against California State Polytechnic (Cal Poly) by the Brandeis Center and Jewish on Campus, Jewish students have been attacked verbally and physically, excluded and forced out of areas on campus, and subjected to vicious anti-Jewish hate. Anti-Israel campus protestors have thrown fake blood on Jewish students; spray painted antisemitic graffiti; shouted antisemitic slurs at Jewish students; vandalized campus property, including frightening acts of violence like shattering glass doors; and harassed Jewish students celebrating a Jewish holiday by shouting antisemitic invectives at them through a megaphone, glorifying Hamas and chalking inflammatory antisemitic messages.

Instead of addressing the antisemitism Cal Poly’s administration has encouraged Jewish students to hide their Jewish identity to avoid being targeted. In one instance, a fully masked Cal Poly student approached the Chabad, a Jewish student group, table at a club fair. He began shouting that the Jewish students were baby killers, genocide supporters and land stealers. The masked student grabbed items off the table and blocked other students from approaching the table with his intimidating rhetoric and by placing his body in front of the table. The perpetrator also inserted himself physically between the rabbi and students who were engaged in discussion, blocking their conversations. Instead of addressing the antisemitic incident, the Associate Dean for Student Life told the Jewish students that they should pack up and leave the fair. In another instance, a ritual item was stolen from Jewish students and, instead of addressing the antisemitic act, the administration told the Jewish students they should take additional steps to avoid further theft. These are just two examples of many where the university encouraged Jewish students to keep their heads down and retreat. According to the complaint, “[t]he message from the University to Jewish students is clear: downplay your Jewish identity on campus or hide to avoid being targeted because the University will not protect you.” Jewish students report fearing for their safety and being denied opportunities. Some have left campus.

“While an increasing number of schools recognize that their Jewish students are being targeted both for their religious beliefs and due to their ancestral connection to Israel, and are taking necessary steps to address both classic and contemporary forms of antisemitism, some shamefully continue to turn a blind eye,” stated Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus, a civil rights expert appointed by Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump to run the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. “The law and federal government recognize Jews share a common faith and they are a people with a shared history and heritage rooted in the land of Israel. Schools that continue to ignore either aspect of Jewish identity are becoming dangerous breeding grounds for escalating anti-Jewish bigotry, and they must be held accountable.”

“Jewish students deserve consistent support from their university administrators, not calls to hide their Jewish identity,” said Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey. “On campuses across the country, Jewish students have faced an unprecedented rise of antisemitism since the October 7th massacre, including at Cal Poly. We urge a swift investigation and a campus climate where no student has to endure such intimidation.”