OpEd: UC San Diego’s Anti-Semitism Problem

By Kerry Schlossberg

LA JOLLA, California — UC San Diego has the dubious distinction of being one of a select number of American universities being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

UCSD has also earned a “D” from the ADL for its “deficient approach” in addressing antisemitism on campus. As a UC alumna and San Diego attorney, I am writing this article to share my own experience with UCSD’s antisemitism problem and demand a correction.

On March 6, 2024, UCSD’s chapter of “Students for Justice in Palestine” (SJP) held an antisemitic rally on campus without a permit. It is unclear why the UCSD Administration allowed it to go forward. Leading up to the event, Hillel UCSD advised all Jewish students, faculty, and community members to stay away for their own safety, sending the following written message to the community: “DO NOT GO ON CAMPUS, PLEASE.”

Believing that Hillel UCSD’s strategy was misguided, I joined a small group of pro-Israel counter-protesters (including UCSD students, professors, alumni, and even a campus rabbi) who decided to show up anyway. We felt that Jews should not hide while pro-Hamas “protesters” become emboldened with minimal pushback. And we knew that as a public university, UCSD would be legally obligated to protect our right to free speech and provide us with a safe space on campus.

To our surprise, the UCSD Police Department rejected multiple requests for a safety escort, even though the requests came from UCSD faculty and clergy members in our counter-protest group. Even when we spoke directly to UC police officers at the event, they told us they were only there to “keep the peace,” and they clearly demonstrated that they were not there to protect us. In fact, they did not even try to catch a man who physically attacked us right in front of them. This unmasked man felt bold enough to attack us despite four UC police officers standing right next to us. On March 12th, I filed an official complaint against these UC police officers, but there has been no follow-up as of the date of this article.

We can garner meaningful insight into UCSD’s policies from its sister campus, UCLA. On April 30th, a Jewish woman was beaten unconscious at UCLA’s “pro-Palestine” encampment, while campus police stood by. In fact, in a now-viral recording, the UCLA Police Department admitted that its officers were instructed by the UCLA Administration to “stand down” while Jewish students were being assaulted and blocked from accessing parts of campus.

As violence escalated at UCLA, a copycat “pro-Palestine” encampment popped up at UCSD on May 1st. UCSD’s Chancellor publicly stated that the UCSD encampment is “in violation of campus policy,” and threatened “suspension, dismissal or legal action.”

However, despite the UCSD Chancellor’s acknowledgment of the UCSD encampment’s illegality, he did not call in the police to remove it. Has the UCSD Police Department been instructed to “stand down” just like its UCLA counterpart? How much violence will the UCSD Administration tolerate?

On top of all this, SJP’s annual “Apartheid Week” at UCSD will begin on May 6th. Our request for a designated counterprotest area has been denied. UCSD Officer Scott Gustafson would only assert that “we will have a police presence around the center of campus.” These are not comforting words, considering the inaction of UC police and selective enforcement of UCSD’s code of conduct.

The simple truth is that Jews at UCSD “are afraid right now,” as stated by renowned UCSD Professor Brian Keating in reference to the UCSD encampment. UCSD’s de facto sanctioning of harassment, intimidation, and violence against Jews is disgraceful and cannot be allowed to continue unanswered.

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Kerry Schlossberg is a San Diego attorney and a board member of the House of Israel in Balboa Park.