Letters to the Editor: UC leaders need to treat antisemitism on campus with the seriousness it deserves

To the editor: The Los Angeles Times (“UCLA’s Jewish community unites against Trump’s $1-billion demand: ‘Misguided and punitive,’” Aug. 1) failed to fully confront statements by UCLA faculty that minimized antisemitism. In fact, the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group (which I chair) and the Task Force on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias at UCLA have documented repeated and violent attacks on Jewish students and faculty by pro-Palestinian protesters before, during and after the 2024 encampment. Minimizing this reality retraumatizes Jews on campus who have already endured hostile conditions.

Over the past 18 months, JFRG has provided UC leaders with evidence and a roadmap to address antisemitism. The real question is whether the university’s leaders, faculty and the media have studied this evidence with the seriousness it deserves — or skimmed past it, choosing the comfort of distance over the responsibility of action.

Kira Stein, Los Angeles
This writer is an assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and founder and chair of the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group.

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To the editor: I cannot agree more with the writers of this piece (“Trump’s claim of fighting antisemitism at UCLA is a dangerous charade,” Aug. 19). I would just like to emphasize and paraphrase a couple of its concepts: President Trump wants $1 billion from UCLA and if UCLA doesn’t find a solution other than the settlement, there would be devastating losses to research, jobs, etc. Truly a Faustian bargain with strong traces of a mafia-style shakedown. And Trump says he’s doing this to combat antisemitism. This outrageous scheme would be hard to believe if it were not happening before our eyes.

Nate Tucker, Costa Mesa

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To the editor: I don’t believe for a minute that Trump is going after UCLA for the benefit of Jews and to fight antisemitism. He couldn’t care less about us and is using us to further his cause, whatever that be. He is putting the Jewish people in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and is, in fact, causing more antisemitism. Please, Trump, go away and leave us alone.

Batiya Anna Lane, Palm Desert

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To the editor: The absurdity of the $1-billion fine Trump proposed for antisemitism at UCLA was shown by the two op-eds on one page of The Times (“Black people on campuses support fighting antisemitism and also wonder, ‘What about us?,’” Aug. 19).

Trump’s fine reminded me of Isaac Asimov’s warning that “when stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent.”

Trump’s continuing attacks on our universities, knowledge and facts are extraordinary dangers to our democracy.

Brian Federici, Riverside