The Washington, D.C.-based Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, along with Jewish on Campus, on Thursday sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education decrying the treatment of Jewish students at Cal Poly Humboldt.
The complaint, which urges the federal Office for Civil Rights to investigate the university under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, states, “the university has not taken meaningful steps to eliminate the hostile climate for Jewish students at Cal Poly Humboldt.”
The letter details a bundle of recent incidents at the university and alleges that administrators failed to properly respond to incidents it calls antisemitic in nature.
At a student club fair on Sept. 18, 2024, a student approached Chabad at Cal Poly Humboldt’s table, and shouted at students calling them “baby killers, genocide supporters and land stealers; the 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, thereby blocking further conversation,” the letter states.
According to the letter, one student (referred to as Student A) repeatedly reported this to the dean of students and associate dean of students at the event, “but they failed to take any action to stop the individual from disrupting the event or to protect the Jewish students. Instead of addressing the antisemitic incident, the associate dean for student life told the Jewish students that they should leave the fair, thereby depriving them of the same educational opportunities as other students and student clubs to participate in and enjoy the fair,” the letter states.
Later, the “university failed to discipline the perpetrator. Instead, it issued a two-way no-contact order” between the students at the table and the perpetrator, according to the letter.
It also details an incident on Oct. 7, 2024, when “Approximately 20 feet from the Jewish student group’s table, masked, anti-Israel students congregated in protest, although they had not received prior approval for protest activity,” and university officials did not intervene. University officials were present and appeared to be speaking with the involved students, the Times-Standard observed.
A protester later threw red paint on a building and threw this paint on two students at the table in the campus quad area.
“Student A and other frightened students pled with administrators including the dean of students, associate dean of students and the VP for enrollment management and student success, to call the police, but they refused. When a student called campus police for help, they refused to come,” the letter states.
Other incidents noted in the letter include the theft of an item from a Sukkah set up on campus (a temporary hut put up during the week-long festival of Sukkot), people writing anti-Zionist messages in chalk near the Sukkah during a teach-in, and an administrator telling students to leave through a back door when a protester with a sign showed up during a Chabad event. The sign depicts a swastika = a Star of David, with the phrase “nazis = zionists,” cited as another example of antisemitism, the letter argues.
According to the complaint, the campus climate for Student A was so intolerable “that he left campus entirely and is completing his senior year remotely, thereby deprived of all of the benefits of campus life and restricted to the limited selection of classes offered online.”
Some national groups have pushed for the definitions of antisemitism to be expanded to include some criticism of Zionism or the state of Israel, which this letter also calls for. The complaint suggests Cal Poly adopt Executive Order 13899 and the IHRA Definition of antisemitism, the latter of which states antisemitism is embodied in “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, i.e., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour.” Another example is “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis”.
It says, “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel” is an example of antisemitism.
“On college campuses, including Humboldt, the word ‘Zionist’ is frequently used as a codeword, proxy term, or dog-whistle for ‘Jew’ among those seeking to disguise their anti-Semitism,” the letter argues.
Statements opposing Israel were central in the April 2024 Pro-Palestine protests at the university, and the complaint mentions some examples, alleging they represent antisemitism.
“On November 2, 2024, vandals spray-painted antisemitic slurs, including ‘KKK = IDF,’ equating Israel’s military with the Klu Klux Klan, and shattered the glass doors to Forbes Gymnasium. Demonizing Israel’s military by comparing it to a racist, white supremacist organization that engaged in terrorist acts of murder and violence against innocent civilians (the KKK), is antisemitic,” according to the complaint.
As one remedy, it suggests the university “establish and enforce policies forbidding protests in classroom buildings, dormitories, libraries, dining halls etc,” and a “zero tolerance” policy for classroom and learning environment disruptions, among other recommendations.
“Cal Poly Humboldt is reviewing the federal complaint and will, of course, fully cooperate with the Office of Civil Rights in any investigation,” said in an emailed statement.
“Hatred or discrimination in any form, including antisemitism, is contrary to our core values. The University unequivocally condemns all acts of hatred, bigotry, and violence, and we are committed to keeping safe our students, staff, and faculty of all religions. We will continue to work together to foster a learning and working environment where we can all feel safe, included, and respected,” the statement said.
When reached for comment on this letter, Rabbi Eliyahu Cowen, executive director of Chabad of Humboldt, wrote in an email: “The most powerful response to antisemitism is embracing our Jewish identity with pride — learning more Torah and increasing in acts of goodness and kindness. Jewish students at Cal Poly Humboldt have found strength in community, coming together to celebrate their Jewishness and support one another. In the face of challenges, the Jewish student body has only grown stronger, with more participation in Jewish life both on and off campus.”
The organizations also filed complaints against Scripps College and San Bernardino County’s Etiwanda School District the same day in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League.
A statement from the center and the letter is posted at https://tinyurl.com/7xbfs4wk
Sage Alexander can be reached at 707-441-0504.
