California colleges agree settlements over antisemitism complaints | US universities
Two colleges in California reached a settlement with Jewish organizations and individuals who filed complaints alleging antisemitism stemming from pro-Palestinian campus protests; This included paying $60,000 to an Israeli sociologist and dance researcher who said he was not rehired by the University of California at Berkeley despite the popularity of his class.
UC Berkeley chancellor Rich Lyons apologized Wednesday to 2022 visiting professor Yael Nativ, who was found to be the victim of discrimination in a campus investigation. The Los Angeles Times reported. He/she is also invited to teach a course in a semester of his/her choice.
“I respect and appreciate Dr. Nativ’s decision to resolve this case,” Lyons said. a statement. “I owe it to him to apologize on behalf of our campus. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Nativ back to Berkeley to teach again.”
Nativ filed the lawsuit in state court this year after demanding that the university follow up on the campus report by rehiring him and take action to prevent similar incidents in the future. He said he received what he called an inadequate response.
At Pomona College, officials said they would hire a federal Title VI civil rights coordinator and create a “task force, committee, or advisory council” on Jewish life and antisemitism, following a federal complaint filed last year with the education department alleging civil rights law violations during the school’s response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Some Jewish students said the protests had created a “hostile environment” for them and that university leaders had done little to enforce free speech and non-discrimination rules.
The cases are part of broader allegations of bias against Jews and Muslims at universities across the country in the two years since a deadly Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 sparked clashes in Gaza and the Middle East region that killed tens of thousands of people. The Israeli government has announced that it is ready to move on to the next phase of Donald Trump’s 20-article ceasefire agreement.
On Tuesday, UC Berkeley announced the six-month unpaid suspension of computer science lecturer Peyrin Kao for allegedly engaging in pro-Palestinian political advocacy in class. The Daily Californian first reported.
