Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, EEOC NEWS—Acting Chair Lucas expresses commitment to holding universities accountable for antisemitic conduct, (Mar 6, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:University of California
By Patricia K. Ruiz, J.D.
While the focus has fallen on antisemitism against university students, Jewish faculty and staff are also at risk of discrimination.
Andrea Lucas, acting chair of the EEOC, committed to holding accountable universities and colleges that have created a hostile work environment for their Jewish employees in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Previously, Lucas named protecting workers from religious bias and harassment, including the egregious and widespread antisemitism plaguing universities in the U.S., as one of her priorities for compliance, investigations, and litigation.
“Under the guise of promoting free speech,” Lucas said, “many universities have actually become a haven for antisemitic conduct, often in violation of the universities’ own time, place, and manner policies, as well as civil rights laws.”
Actions to combat antisemitism. An executive order (EO) by the Trump administration announced a government-wide effort to combat antisemitism, spurring the Department of Justice (DOJ) to form the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. The DOJ has announced it will, in partnership with the EEOC and other agencies, investigate the University of California for potential violations of Title VII based on alleged antisemitism in university workplaces.
The EEOC press release lists a number of resources for employees and employers about addressing antisemitism at work, including a fact sheet, a resolution condemning violence, harassment, and bias against Jewish persons in the U.S., a religious discrimination enforcement guidance, and training on antisemitism in the workplace.
Rise in antisemitism at universities. Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks in Israel, news coverage of antisemitism at the country’s leading universities focused on the students affected, according to Lucas. However, she stressed that universities are large-scale employers of Jewish faculty and staff, “all of whom have the right not to be discriminated against or harassed on the basis of religion, national origin, or race.”
News: AgencyNews Discrimination ReligiousDiscrimination