EEOC to Focus on Fighting Antisemitism on College Campuses (1)

The EEOC will prioritize holding universities accountable for the creation of hostile work environments on campus for Jewish professors and staff following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Acting Chair Andrea Lucas said.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Wednesday evening statementis part of a broader administration-wide initiative to combat antisemitism. The EEOC under the Biden administration, after the war began, doubled down on commitments to on rooting out related discrimination against Jewish and Muslim workers.

Lucas’s statement is also part of her push to carry out an intended focus on preventing religious discrimination. She is unable to move forward aggressively on her litigation or policy priorities, however, due to a lack of a quorum at the agency.

Lucas’s statement was released the same day the Department of Justice announced it was investigating the University of California under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to see if the school discriminated against Jewish employees. The acting EEOC chair said she is committed to working with the DOJ and other federal agencies to “to stamp out the scourge of anti-semitism on campus workplaces.”

“Under the guise of promoting free speech, 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 law,” Lucas said.

The University of California said in a statement Thursday it’s “unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting everyone’s civil rights.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 29 with a goal of rooting out antisemitism at college campuses, and the administration formed a task force to combat antisemitism on Feb. 3 with representatives from the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

The EEOC released a fact sheet in 2023 on what a worker should do if they face antisemitism at work. The commission released a separate fact sheet in 2024about anti-Muslim and antisemitic discrimination.

In May 2021 the commission also signed a resolution condemning violence against Jewish people.