Jewish students, parents call on University of Virginia to do more to address antisemitism

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (7News) — As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, so does unrest at the University of Virginia (UVA).

An election is being held at UVA calling on the university’s endowment to divest from all companies with ties to Israel. UVA students can participate in the election. Voting on the referendum ends Wednesday.

The referendum also criticizes UVA’s Oct. 11 message that acknowledged the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

The referendum states UVA’s message, “failed to address the crimes committed by the Israeli government and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

Students for Justice in Palestine is among the sponsors of the referendum, which has led similar divest efforts at colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Michigan, the University of Houston, Fresno State University, the University of Minnesota and Brown University.

“There is this movement on campus that is blatantly antisemitic,” said Joel Nied.

Nied and Jewish students recently met with UVA administrators asking them to do more to address antisemitism.

“There are students who have been spat upon, shoved, that have called horrible names, antisemitic slurs,” said Nied. ”Tragically there’s one kid that has been so intimidated by students in his dorm, for peace of mind he has to move off campus and sleep elsewhere and stop wearing his Yamika. Other kids when they walk by these protests, they feel they need to tuck their jewelry, their Jewish stars into their sweaters and shirts so no one sees them. So, they’re hiding. They’re hiding their identity.”

That’s not all he’s concerned about at UVA.

“About 70 faculty members signed a letter that among other things said that what happened on Oct. 7 needs to be viewed in context. I don’t know how anybody can try to contextualize what happened on Oct. 7 other than looking at it for what it was. It was a barbaric horrible attack. There’s no justification,” said Nied.

Nied also pointed to UVA faculty members who have canceled classes to support pro-Palestine student groups.

“I’m writing to let you know that I am canceling class today in solidarity with the yes on divest walkout that the UVA apartheid divest coalition organized,” a UVA associate professor said in an email to her class.

“In the e-mail, she explicitly describes her political views and, apparently, has loaded the class curriculum with materials that support her views,” Nied said.

“You’ve got all these things happening and the administration just not doing anything,” added Nied. “And other universities have done a lot.”

A UVA spokesperson said UVA leaders created a task force on religious diversity and belonging to make suggestions for where the university can improve.

“In addition to the conflict, and in part because of it, there has been an alarming increase at home and abroad in anti-semitism, Islamophobia, as well as discrimination and harassment based on nationality, including on college campuses,” a UVA spokesperson told 7News. “To be clear, these and any other forms of bigotry have no place on our Grounds. To help honor that commitment, we have recently created a task force on religious diversity and belonging to assess the experiences of our community and ensure that UVA is welcoming to students, faculty and staff across the full spectrum of religions and cultures.”

Nied points out that two of the professors who signed “concerning” open letters are on the 11-person “Religious Diversity and Belonging” task force.

“The Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging is charged with gathering information about the experience of members of our community and developing recommendations to improve that experience for people from all faith traditions,” a UVA spokesperson told 7News.

Students for Justice in Palestine have been banned by some colleges, including Columbia and Brandeis. 7News reached out to SJP for an interview, but they have not responded yet.

In December, a civil rights violation investigation was opened against UVA. The U.S. Department of Education classified the probe as dealing with "national origin discrimination involving religion."

7News asked the university if it has to do specifically with antisemitism or Islamophobia.

UVA did acknowledge that there is a federal probe and condemns all forms of discrimination and intolerance.

“Like many institutions around the nation, UVA has received a notice and request for information from the U.S. Department of Education and is cooperating fully,” a UVA spokesperson told 7News. “It’s important to note that the notice indicates “that opening the complaint for investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination on the merits of the complaint.” The University stands against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of discrimination and intolerance and strives to offer an environment where people from every walk of life are welcome and safe to live, learn, and work together.”