There is no doubt that anti-Semitism is real, it is resurgent, and it is too often combined with criticism of the Israeli government, which has destroyed Gaza to eradicate Hamas.
But it is hard to believe that the Trump administration is sincere when it demands that UCLA pay the government more than $1 billion because, as it alleges, the school failed to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests in 2024 and engages in diversity, equity and inclusion practices. This is extortion, pure and simple.
Yes, some Jewish students were intimidated and felt unsafe during the campus protests; and yes, the school agreed to a $6 million settlement with several of them. But does anyone really believe the Trump administration cares about anti-Semitism?
“I was a postdoc at the University of Virginia in August 2017, I was there when the Unite the Right rally came to town,” said Anna Markowitz, associate professor of education at UCLA and president of the executive board of the UCLA Faculty Association. “I saw that group walking down the street doing Nazi salutes and I heard them chanting horrible things. And the administration didn't care at all about that.”
Oh, it was worse than that; Trump defended neo-Nazis, infamously claiming that there were “some very good people on both sides.” Just last week, Trump's nominee for the Office of Special Counsel withdrew from consideration after his offensive texts came to light, including one in which he described having “a Nazi streak.” Recently, Vice President JD Vance refused to condemn some members of the Young Republicans, who joked about gas chambers in a group chat, with one declaring, “I love Hitler.” Vance said, “Kids do stupid things, especially little kids.” (According to Mother Jones, they were between 24 and 35 years old.)
Still, the Trump administration is using its false commitment to combating anti-Semitism to undermine the independence of American universities.
In reality, he wants to intervene in gender-affirming recruiting, admissions, sports, scholarships, and medical practices on campuses. In its effort to turn back the clock on civil rights of all kinds, it wants to stifle any practice that can be remotely linked to creating a more diverse student and faculty body.
We know all this because a proposed settlement secretly negotiated between the Department of Justice and UCLA was ordered made public after the UC Faculty Association. and its largest group, the UC Council of Faculty Associations, filed a public records lawsuit demanding its release.
The 27-page document is a master class in gaslighting. It seeks to support free speech and civil rights while demanding that the university crush free speech and civil rights.
“I was surprised by the contradictions,” Markowitz said. “Time and time again, they would claim that they are making these changes because they are interested in defending civil rights or free speech, with phrases saying, 'And that is why we will no longer allow people who hold these views to participate in this dialogue.'”
This is particularly evident in the section on international students, he said.
“Processes will be established,” the document states, “to provide that foreign students who may engage in anti-Western, anti-American, or anti-Semitic riots or harassment will not be recruited or admitted to UCLA.”
As for transgender athletes, the school must essentially deny their existence. If any athlete is found to have been negatively affected by competing against a trans woman, the document says, “UCLA will send a personalized letter of apology to each affected athlete.”
The agreement also stipulates that UCLA hospitals cannot provide gender-affirming medical care of any kind to minors, despite California laws that recognize the right to access gender-affirming care and protection for those who provide it.
The government is also demanding that UCLA ban nighttime demonstrations and any activities that deny access to campus facilities “such as the 'Jewish Exclusion Zone' imposed by activists in Dickson Plaza during April 2024, which prevented Jewish students and faculty from accessing classroom buildings and Powell Library based on their religious beliefs or their refusal to repudiate Israel.”
Using that kind of language is deliberately inflammatory. Many Jewish students participated in the pro-Palestinian camp. As one civil rights lawyer put it: “There were Shabbat ceremonies. There was a Seder ceremony that took place at the camp. Jewish teachers and students were instrumental in creating the camp. So the idea that this was a, quote, 'Jewish exclusion zone' was absurd on its face.”
(And let's not forget that law enforcement remained inactive for three hours while pro-Israel counterprotesters violently attacked the camp.)
In a document full of ironies large and small, perhaps the most glaring is the stipulation that anyone wearing a mask during a protest “must briefly unmask to verify their identity.” Those who refuse will be “subject to disciplinary action… and referred for prosecution.”
Who, exactly, will oversee UCLA's compliance with government demands? According to the document, a completely new infrastructure will be created. The university would appoint an administrator to oversee its efforts to disband the “illegal” DEI. That person will report to a “Resolution Monitor” who would have tremendous power over the university's admissions and hiring policies.
So what's next? A federal lawsuit filed by a coalition of faculty, staff, students and unions is challenging the agreement, alleging that the government is illegally pressuring UC to agree to its demands. The first court hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Beyond that, Markowitz said, Californians must understand what is at stake and pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom and the UC Board of Regents to fight government overreach.
“The Trump administration is systematically attempting to defund higher education while also remaking it in its own ideological image,” Markowitz said. “The goal is to put ideology at the heart of UC, rather than serving students, their dreams and desires, or serving California, the economy and the workforce.”
In the Trump administration's war on American universities, fighting anti-Semitism, while worthy, is just a pretext. Don't be fooled.
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