UCLA ordered by judge to craft plan in support of Jewish students

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A federal judge ordered Monday that UCLA craft a plan to protect Jewish students, months after pro-Palestinian protests broke out on campus.

Three Jewish students sued the university in June, alleging that they experienced discrimination on campus amid demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA law student who is Jewish, said in the lawsuit that he declined an invitation from the director of student life to help host a lunch gathering because he did not feel safe participating.

"Under ordinary circumstances, I would have leapt at the chance to participate in this event," Frankel said. "My Jewish identity and religion are integral to who I am, and I believe it is important to mentor incoming students and encourage them to be proud of their Judaism, too."

But Frankel argued UCLA was failing to foster a safe environment for Jewish students on campus.

UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako said the school is "committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combatting antisemitism in all forms."

"We have applied lessons learned from this spring's protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment," Osako said in a statement.

The University was ordered to craft a proposed plan by next month.

"We're in court asking for an injunction, an order from the court that by the time students show up this August for the new semester UCLA has to commit to stopping this kind of behaviors," said the students' attorney Mark Rienzi. "There were places on campus where Jews were not allowed to go because of their religious exercise, religious beliefs and that's a violation of the constitution. UCLA is a public institution."

The students claimed they were stopped from accessing classes and the library.

"All three of them were stopped from entering the central quad on campus, Royce Quad. UCLA security are the ones who sent them away told them they couldn't go," said Rienzi.

The demonstrations at UCLA became part of a movement at campuses across the country against the Israel-Hamas war. At UCLA, law enforcement ordered in May that over a thousand protesters break up their encampment as tensions rose on campus. Counter-demonstrators had attacked the encampment overnight, and at least 15 protesters suffered injuries. In June, dozens of protesters on campus were arrested after they tried to set up a new encampment.