Sherman Comments on UC Regents Report on Anti-Semitism and Intolerance

Washington DC - Today the University of California Regents released its Final Report of the Regents Working Group on Principles Against Intolerance.

Congressman Sherman issued the following statement in response:

“I am pleased to see that the final report explicitly condemns anti‐Semitism and anti‐Zionism. This is a significant victory for Jewish students who have faced multiple, unsettling incidents involving anti-Semitic epithets, slurs, obscenities, and even physical violence.

“Since the ‘Principles Against Intolerance’ section fails to explicitly address the problem of anti-Zionism, it is critical that the report’s introduction – which condemns anti-Zionism – is adopted as part of the UC Regents’ policy.

“I am disappointed that the report does not recommend the adoption of a definition of anti-Semitism. I wrote to the UC Regents, as well as former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, urging them to adopt the State Department definition. The State Department definition appropriately draws the line between normal criticisms of the policies of the State of Israel on the one hand, and disguised anti-Semitism on the other.

“However, I applaud the report’s attempt to denounce anti-Zionism expressed in ways that are not simply statements of disagreement over politics and policy, but assertions of prejudice and intolerance toward Jewish people and culture. I will continue working with the University of California and universities across the county to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitism.”

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