After receiving reports from various Jewish groups that
anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiments are rampant on college
campuses, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted this week to
recommend that the Department of Education take steps to protect
Jewish students.
The commission, which studies and reports on civil rights issues
and makes recommendations based on its findings, decided to
recommend that the Department of Education more stringently enforce
Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which authorizes the
withdrawal of federal funds from public institutions that practice
discrimination.
But some members of the local Jewish community said the
commission’s conclusion is not applicable to the UCLA
campus.
Of the many universities he has visited, Rabbi Yonason Quinn,
with the Jewish Awareness Movement on campus, said he finds UCLA
students to be significantly different from students at other
schools.
“Maybe it’s the weather,” he said jokingly.
“But students at UCLA are very open and warm. Never, except
for once, have I seen any incidents (of anti-Semitism) during my
time here.”
At least one Jewish student leader agrees. Candice Daneshvar,
president of Bruins for Israel, chose to attend UCLA rather than UC
Berkeley because she believes the Los Angeles campus is more
accepting of Jews and pro-Israel views than its northern
counterpart.
Daneshvar attributes UCLA’s accepting environment to Los
Angeles’ large Jewish community.
“We have a lot of backing in the area. … We feel more
comfortable expressing our opinions,” Daneshvar said.
The commission also reported that the Middle East studies
departments at several universities presented a one-sided view on
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making Jewish students feel
uncomfortable because of the close ties many Jews see between
Israel and Judaism.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller of UCLA Hillel said though it is
sometimes true that UCLA professors offer hostile or one-sided
views on Israel, such classroom behavior should not be a problem in
an academic setting.
“A university is a place for people who hold strong
opinions. … I know of no students who have complained of being
graded unfairly (for articulating) a different point of
view,” he said.
Given that the reports to the commission were so vastly
different from what he sees to be the climate at UCLA,
Seidler-Feller said he believes the commission should not have
based its decision on one set of opinions.
“I was outraged by the fact that all the people who
presented at the meeting (of the Commission on Civil Rights) were
representative of the same point of view,” he said.
And for some, the idea of a federally enforced climate of
acceptance on campus is problematic, whether or not students find
anti-Semitism to be a significant problem.
“I think it would make things worse,” Quinn said.
“(The government) will come into something that isn’t
their territory and not be effective.”
Seidler-Feller said he believed the government should not have
to interfere, especially at a university.
“The first place to seek redress from is within the
university,” Seidler-Feller said. “It speaks poorly
about a community that needs to call in the “˜feds’ to
solve a problem that intelligent individuals should be solving
internally.”
But on the other hand, Daneshvar said she welcomes federal and
state involvement if it would protect students from
discrimination.
“We’re a public university, and students deserve a
non-hostile environment in which to study,” she said.
“If students feel their rights are being violated, the
government should intervene.”
Seidler-Feller also said he disagrees with the broad definition
of anti-Semitism used by the commission.
The report defines anti-Semitism as statements that makes Jews
feel uncomfortable.
“We live in an environment where there is a conflict. Of
course there are statements (that make) students
uncomfortable,” Seidler-Feller said.
Sielder-Feller said he does not view Jews merely feeling
“uncomfortable” as a sign of anti-Semitism.
There was also concern on the panel about the commission’s
jurisdiction on religious matters.
Gerald Reynolds, chairman of the commission, questioned whether
the commission should be involved in examining matters of religious
discrimination.
But whether Judaism is strictly a religion is a matter of debate
““ Jessica Braceras, a member of the Commission for Civil
Rights, said Judaism encompasses both a religion and an ethnic
group, which would place anti-Semitism under the commission’s
authority.
With reports from Bruin wire services.