Jewish groups allege heightened anti-Semitism at U. of I.

In a federal civil rights complaint, three notable Jewish organizations are asking the U.S. Department of Education to investigate what they call “an unrelenting campaign of intimidation and harassment” of Jewish and pro-Israel students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, located in Washington, filed the complaint in conjunction with the Chicago-based Jewish United Fund and Hillel International. The organizations publicly shared the allegations Friday because they said efforts to resolve the issues have stalled, though the complaint was submitted inMarch.

“Over the past five years, the Jewish and pro-Israel students at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been subjected to an alarming increase in anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism,” the complaint says, according to a copy obtained by the Tribune through a public records request. “The anti-Semitism comes from both ends of the political spectrum: Jews are peppered with swastikas by white supremacists on the extreme right while being labeled white supremacists by the extreme left.”

Auniversity spokeswoman said the school has been working with the groups to address their concerns and that campus leaders “condemn acts and expressions of anti-Semitism.”

The complaint, submitted to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, details the experiences oftwoU. of I. students andwas filed on behalf of all Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus, the complaint says. It lists 35 examples of alleged discrimination, including multiple incidents of vandalism to religious objects on campus and graffiti depicting swastikas.

The complaint also cites comments from a pro-Palestinian student group that equated Zionism, a movement supporting Israel, with “white supremacy,” and a diversity presentation that was given to resident advisers in September 2019 titled, “Palestine & Great Return March: Palestinian Resistance to 70 Years of Israeli Terror,” the complaint says.

Requests for comment from the student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, was not returned Friday.

U. of I. spokeswoman Robin Kaler said the university learned of the complaint this summer after it was sent to the Higher Learning Commission, an agency that accredits colleges and universities in 19 states, including Illinois. The commission askedU. of I. to respond to the allegations in July, according to correspondence provided by the university.

The commission determined there was no “substantive noncompliance” of accreditation requirements, according to the correspondence. A spokesman for the commission said it does not comment publicly on complaints but reviews “all complaints received in accordance with its policies and procedures.”

Kaler said the university was “engaged in a long, meaningful and what we believedwas a collaborative discussion” about concerns raised in the complaint with stakeholders and that it never tolerates anti-Semitism or other forms of bigotry.

But JUF President Lonnie Nasatir said the three organizations are “frustrated” that little progress has been made. Over the years, JUF has chronicled the incidents as they arise on campus. “We continued to get delay, delay, delay,” he said.

Nasatir said U. of I. could improve the environment for Jewish students by adopting the definition of anti-Semitism developed by the InternationalHolocaust Remembrance Alliance, recognizing that Zionism is an “integral part of the identity of many Jewish students,” and ensuring that Jewish students can express Zionism without harassment and discrimination.

The alliance’s definition incorporates modern examples of anti-Semitism, which some critics say are overly broad. According to the definition, anti-Semitism includes “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” and “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”

It’s unclear if the Department of Education will open an investigation into the U. of I. complaint. The department’s Office of Civil Rights evaluates all complaints it receives but won’t publicly confirm a submission unless or until it has been accepted for investigation, a spokesman said.

The complaint alleges U. of I. violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination “on the basis of race, color, andnational origin” at educational institutions that receive federal money. Though the law does not explicitly mention religion, an executive order signed by President DonaldTrump in December stated that Title VI also forbids “discrimination rooted in antiSemitism as vigorously as against all other forms of discrimination.”

Other administrations have interpreted the law to mean that members of a religious group are also protected by Title VI if they have shared ancestral or ethnic characteristics, according to Alyza Lewin, president and general counsel of the Washingtonbased center that filed the complaint.

Also unknown is howthe allegations will be received on campus. According to Hillel International, about 8% of the undergraduates, or 3,000 students, identify as Jewish.

Bruce Rosenstock, a U. of I. professor of religion, said it’s important to distinguish between acts of anti-Semitism — which he described as vandalism against Jewish institutions and the use of a swastika— fromcriticism of Zionism.

“The students who are not in favor of Zionism deserve the same equitable treatment as the Jewish students, whoshould not be accused of being Nazis because of their identification as Zionists,” said Rosenstock, who teaches a class on the history of anti-Semitism. “That is wrong.”