A Correction to My Post on Anti-Semitism at UC Irvine

It has been brought to my attention that my posting recently on anti-Semitism at the University of California contained a factual error. Specifically, I wrote the following:

“Ten years ago, when Jewish students complained about anti-semitic harassment at UCI, it took a small group of concerned Jewish community members to establish the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism. The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) joined them, and a complaint was lodged with the Office of Civil Rights, U.S Department of Education. Unfortunately, it eventually failed for incomprehensible reasons.”

Actually, ZOA filed a civil rights complaint in October 2004 with the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. At that time, the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism had not yet been formed.

In addition, I should add that the OCR regional team investigating the complaint had concluded that Jewish students did indeed suffer a hostile campus environment. Their decision was overruled by their superiors in Washington. It is a complicated story, but Ken Marcus describes what happened in this article for Commentary Magazine in September 2010.

I naturally regret this factual error and I hope this will correct it.