Letters to the Editor: Cal State investigation actually is about antisemitism, not Trump’s agenda
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To the editor: This article portrays a legitimate civil rights investigation as a politically driven probe (“Cal State universities now target of antisemitism probe by Trump administration,” Sept. 27). But this mischaracterization ignores the real antisemitism problem in the California State University system and erases the bravery of Jewish faculty, like our clients, who filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after experiencing unlawful discrimination.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism has run rampant at CSU. Protesters have set up illegal encampments, taken over buildings, vandalized campus with antisemitic graffiti and spewed anti-Jewish hatred. In May 2024, dozens of professors sent a letter to Chancellor Mildred Garcia documenting the problems. But CSU failed to protect its Jewish community. Meanwhile, the California Faculty Assn. has wielded its immense power and resources to attack Israel on a regular basis and make campus intolerable for Jewish faculty.
Characterizing the investigation as a political “probe by [the] Trump administration” minimizes the seriousness of our clients’ allegations. These employees did not wait for any administration “probe” on their behalf. They took the risk themselves — filing complaints, documenting antisemitic harassment and invoking civil rights protections. Their actions are a demand for legal accountability, not a partisan agenda.
Deedee Bitran, Los Angeles; Mark Pinkert, Miami
Bitran is senior counsel at StandWithUs Saidoff Law. Pinkert is a partner with Holtzman Vogel.
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To the editor: It should not be too hard to understand that California higher education would tend toward liberal-thinking students who do not want to see Gaza destroyed and Gazans punished, injured, starved and killed for the actions of a few with power. It should not be too hard to understand that these sensibilities have nothing to do with antisemitism as opposed to a rejection of a governmental decision to annihilate noncombatants. It should not be hard to understand our current president’s antipathy toward anything associated with California. All clear?
Scott W. Hamre, Cherry Valley
