UCLA Pays $6 Million To Settle Antisemitism Complaints

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will pay $6.13 million to settle a series of antisemitic discrimination complaints including allegations that Jewish students were barred from parts of campus during anti-Israel protests. The settlement, one of the largest of its kind, will remain in effect for 15 years pending judicial approval.

“Campus administrators across the country willingly bent the knee to antisemites during the encampments,” said Mark Rienzi, president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and attorney for the students. “They are now on notice: treating Jews like second-class citizens is wrong, illegal, and very costly. UCLA should be commended for accepting judgment against that misbehavior and setting the precedent that allowing mistreatment of Jews violates the Constitution and civil rights laws.”

The agreement includes financial damages to the plaintiffs, contributions to pro-Jewish organizations, and attorneys’ fees. Additionally, UCLA agreed to a permanent court order prohibiting the university from supporting or enabling discrimination against Jewish students and faculty.

The case arose after a video surfaced last year showing masked protesters blocking a Jewish student from entering campus buildings creating what plaintiffs called a “Jew Exclusion Zone.”

“I’m a UCLA student, I deserve to go here, we pay tuition,” the student protested as demonstrators refused to let him through. “This is our school and they are not letting me walk in.”

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block condemned the incident at the time, calling it “really inappropriate,” but critics say the administration failed to take meaningful action against the perpetrators.

Yitzchok Frankel, a recent UCLA Law graduate and plaintiff in the case, called the university’s handling of the situation “shameful.”

“When antisemites were terrorizing Jews and excluding them from campus, UCLA chose to protect the thugs and help keep Jews out,” Frankel said. “That was shameful, and it is sad that my own school defended those actions for more than a year. But today’s court judgment brings justice back to our campus and ensures Jews will be safe and be treated equally once again.”

The settlement comes as universities across the nation face growing backlash over their failure to protect Jewish students during anti-Israel demonstrations. Columbia University recently agreed to pay over $200 million in a settlement with the Trump administration over similar failures, while Harvard is reportedly weighing a $500 million payout to resolve federal civil rights complaints.

The Trump administration has made combating campus antisemitism a cornerstone of its civil rights agenda, holding universities accountable for allowing politically motivated harassment and exclusion.

With this $6 million settlement, UCLA has sent a clear message but the pressure is only growing for other universities that have turned a blind eye to antisemitic discrimination.

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