National Director Abraham Foxman sent a letter to the Regents of the University of California on June 10 expressing concern about recent anti-Semitic incidents on UC campuses.
The letter indicated support of adoption by the UC system of the definition of anti-Semitism in the U.S. State Department’s Fact Sheet, while reminding the Regents that the State Department definition of anti-Semitism was not created for use in a university setting.
Foxman called the definition “a common reference point and guidepost” while urging caution on its use pertaining to First Amendment freedoms of expression on UC campuses. “The First Amendment protects even the ugliest and most anti-Semitic speech; the best response to hateful speech is for administrators, faculty and students to denounce it with better more persuasive speech.”
The letter also outlined ADL’s recent programs at UC campuses including training of UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) on anti-Semitism, criticism of Israel, and freedom of speech, focusing on how these complex topics intersect. ADL is the only off-campus organization to have presented directly to USAC as part of the response to the February 2015 anti-Semitic questioning of a judicial board candidate.