UC Berkeley has agreed to pay $1 million and change its policies after being sued for allowing antisemitic hate speech and actions on campus.
This payment will reimburse legal fees for the Brandeis Center, the organization that filed the lawsuit.
Under the agreement, UC Berkeley must prohibit all forms of discrimination and harassment based on religion, national origin, or identity — specifically regarding Jewish people and Israelis. The university also agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism following allegations of a hostile environment for Jewish students at California public universities.
Additionally, the university must clarify on its website that banning “Zionists” has been used as a pretext to exclude Jewish people, while considering the use of the term as a reference to Jewish or Israeli individuals.
The lawsuit began in 2023, describing a series of incidents following the October 7 attack in Israel. The filings detailed cases where Jewish students were attacked, blocked, spat on, and subjected to verbal abuse.
In one instance, a student was hit in the head with a metal bottle while carrying an Israeli flag. A graduate student’s home was broken into, with a hateful note left behind. Some students reported they were too afraid to attend classes.
Two faculty members were also named in the filings: one received a death threat via email, while the other was targeted with offensive graffiti.
A speaking event organized by Jewish students was also disrupted by a mob. Participants were spat on and directly insulted.
The Brandeis Center called the settlement a turning point but not the end. A representative for the organization stated that unless addressed thoroughly, hateful behavior will continue to spread.
In its response, UC Berkeley stated it has a process for reviewing related incidents and reaffirmed its commitment to fighting all forms of hate on campus, similar to concerns raised by lawyers accusing the California probation system of ignoring security warnings.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the environment for Jewish students at UC Berkeley was graded a “B” in 2026, an improvement over previous years.
The incident takes place as the Trump administration intensifies measures to combat antisemitism nationwide, including the establishment of a task force within the Department of Justice.
