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MY POV - The University of California’s recent $6.45 million settlement with Jewish students and faculty at UCLA is more than a legal resolution—it is a wake-up call to every public institution, civic leader, and academic campus in America. It exposes a painful truth: that even in the heart of one of the most diverse cities in the world, antisemitism can fester in broad daylight—and be ignored.
Let’s be honest about what happened. During the spring of 2024, UCLA allowed a student-led encampment to form in protest of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Peaceful protest is a cherished right on university campuses. But what unfolded at UCLA was not protected speech—it was exclusion, discrimination, and intimidation.
Protesters set up barricades, created entry checkpoints, and denied access to students unless they disavowed Israel’s right to exist. Jewish and Israeli students were asked invasive questions, refused entry to public university spaces like Powell Library, and in some cases, physically threatened. Videos circulated of students being harassed for speaking Hebrew. The encampment became an ideological purity test—if you were Jewish, Zionist, or even merely Israeli, you were seen as unwelcome.
Even worse, the university administration stood by and allowed it to happen. For days, they delayed intervention, citing the need to “de-escalate tensions.” But inaction in the face of discrimination is not neutrality—it’s complicity. And that’s what the U.S. Department of Justice ultimately confirmed: UCLA violated federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
This isn’t just an isolated failure. It’s part of a broader and alarming trend of antisemitism spreading on college campuses nationwide. At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion are front and center in academic life, Jewish students have become invisible in the conversation. When their rights are violated, too often their complaints are dismissed, their pain minimized, or their identity politicized.
The $6.45 million settlement includes $50,000 in individual compensation to the three students and one professor who were plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Millions more will go to Jewish organizations on campus—including Hillel, Chabad, the ADL, and the Jewish Federation’s Campus Impact Network—as well as to UCLA’s new “Initiative to Combat Antisemitism.” It also includes a permanent injunction: UCLA may no longer allow student groups or protesters to exclude Jewish individuals from campus spaces.
This is one of the largest civil rights settlements ever reached in a university context. But what does it really mean?
First, it is a legal precedent. No university—public or private—can turn a blind eye when students are denied access based on their identity. This settlement sends a clear message: antisemitism is not a gray area. It is not an “internal campus issue.” It is a federal civil rights violation, and it will be prosecuted as such.
Second, it is a moral reckoning. For too long, antisemitism has been excused under the umbrella of political disagreement. Yes, students have the right to protest Israel’s policies. But they do not have the right to harass Jewish classmates, deny them access to education, or demand that they renounce their beliefs in order to be included. When protest becomes persecution, it ceases to be protected speech.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, this is an opportunity for institutional reform. Chancellor Julio Frenk, who inherited much of this crisis, has the chance to do more than clean up the mess—he can chart a new course. UCLA should become a national leader in the fight against campus antisemitism. That means adopting a clear and enforceable definition of antisemitism, offering mandatory training for faculty and staff, and creating robust accountability mechanisms when students’ civil rights are violated.
As a civic leader, community advocate, and proud Angeleno, I want UCLA to succeed. I want it to be a model of what a just, pluralistic, and intellectually honest university can be. But that future will never come if Jewish students feel unsafe, unheard, and unwelcome.
The question we must ask now is not just, “How did this happen?” but “What kind of campus culture allowed it to happen?”
How is it that discrimination against Jewish students is still seen as politically acceptable in some circles, when the same behavior would be unthinkable if directed at any other ethnic or religious group?
How did students come to believe that blocking access to a public library based on religion or national origin was an act of justice?
How did administrators rationalize their silence as leadership?
These questions go far beyond UCLA. They speak to a crisis of courage in higher education. When fear of political backlash outweighs the obligation to protect students, universities fail. And when that failure is directed at one of the most historically persecuted groups in human history, the consequences are chilling.
This settlement should mark the end of the excuses. It should close the chapter on indifference and open a new one—one defined by principled leadership, community healing, and an unwavering commitment to equal protection.
Jewish students should not have to sue their university to be treated with dignity. But when they do, we must listen. And we must act.
The price of UCLA’s inaction is now measured in millions. But the real cost—the erosion of trust, the trauma inflicted on students, the stain on the university’s values—is far greater.
Let this be a turning point. Let it be the last time any Jewish student is made to feel like a stranger on their own campus.
And let it be a reminder to every university in America: silence has a price, but justice has a voice.
(Mihran Kalaydjian has over twenty years of public affairs, government relations, legislative affairs, public policy, community relations and strategic communications experience. He is a leading member of the community and a devoted civic engagement activist for education spearheading numerous academic initiatives in local political forums. Mihran is also the President of Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure of TCCI)
