We have been in touch with UCLA officials and student groups about the anti-Semitic Facebook postings of a UCLA undergraduate student who is a former work-study employee at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. These posts were made by an individual from her personal Facebook account that has no affiliation with the university or her former employer.
As we understand it, a new pro-Israel student group, Students Supporting Israel (SSI), publicly exposed these postings on its Facebook page and called out the person making them. In one of her responding posts, the student commented “Get the f— out of here.” There is no evidence that she made this comment at her previous workplace on the UCLA campus, as emails on the topic going around the country seem to suggest.
UCLA administrators strongly condemned the anti-Semitic sentiments but also acknowledged the student’s free speech rights. Statements of condemnation were issued by the UCLA Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the Interim Dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (attached below). On December 21, 2015, SSI posted on Facebook a statement of gratitude for the administration’s public statements condemning the anti-Semitic Facebook posts. Furthermore, on January 7, 2016, the UCLA Chancellor’s office shared with ADL language they were using to reply to inquiries about the matter, and to reiterate their strong condemnation (attached below).
We have not heard of any complaints from staff or patients of the David Geffen School of Medicine that the individual making these anti-Semitic postings has acted on her bias against Jews at work. Furthermore, UCLA has informed ADL that the student no longer works in the University Health System. As these events have unfolded, ADL has been in communication with the university administrators, faculty, and student groups including SSI.
ADL has been particularly active at UCLA in recent years. Two high-profile cases in particular required our attention. First was a vicious campaign in 2014 to discredit two student council members who participated in Jewish organization-sponsored missions to Israel and subsequently voted against a BDS resolution. One of these students attended an ADL mission to Israel. We helped the students navigate through this difficult time and also called on campus leadership to speak out.
The second case that required our attention was the February 2015 anti-Semitic questioning of a student candidate for the Judicial Board by members of the UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) about her qualifications for the position and specifically her ability to represent students’ interests impartially in light of her Jewish identity and affiliation with the Jewish community. USAC subsequently unanimously approved the student’s bid for the position. A few weeks later, ADL was invited as the only off-campus organization to present directly to USAC, where ADL led a training on anti-Semitism, criticism of Israel, and the points of intersections of these topics. Comprehensive educational training efforts continued in 2015 with ADL workshops for UCLA senior administrators , its Student Affairs Directors, and student leaders of UCLA fraternities and sororities . Further trainings are scheduled in 2016 including ADL’s Words to Action: Empowering Students to Address Anti-Semitism on Campus at a UCLA Jewish sorority house; and four A CAMPUS OF DIFFERENCE™ trainings for staff of UCLA’s Housing and Hospitality Services.
UCLA has a robust Jewish presence, including a vibrant Hillel and the student group Bruins for Israel. Their strong preference is to address campus issues without outside interference. Given ADL’s lengthy track record and deep relations at UCLA, student groups and administrators alike regularly consult with and receive ADL guidance and resources. ADL will continue to serve as a trusted advisor to help campus leaders create a respectful and inclusive university campus environment.
For questions, please feel free to contact ADL at (310) 446-8000 or LA@adl.org.
ATTACHMENTS (Click images to see full size):