Judge dismisses anti-Semitism lawsuit against UC Berkeley

(CHICAGO 12/24/2011)-- A lawsuit contending that UC Berkeley and the UC system failed to mitigate a climate averse to Jewish students was dismissed this week, the campus announced Friday.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed the suit, which was originally filed March 4 by UC Berkeley alumnus Jessica Felber.

Felber — who was co-president of the campus Zionist student group Tikvah while a student on campus — alleged in the suit that the campus and university tolerated the “development of a dangerous anti-Semitic climate on its campuses” and failed to adopt policies to address the alleged dangerous climate, according to the filing.

mber of Students for Justice in Palestine. The Alameda County District Attorney’s office did not file charges against Zakharia after his arrest following the incident.

The ruling, by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg, stated that “the administration has engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the opposing parties in an attempt to ensure that the rights of all persons are respected, and to minimize the potential for violence and unsafe conditions.”

A lawsuit contending that UC Berkeley and the UC system allowed a "hostile environment" for Jewish students to exist on campus and did not adequately address the situation was dismissed this week, campus officials announced Friday.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed the suit, which was originally filed March 4 by UC Berkeley alumnus Jessica Felber, the Daily Californian reported. Felber had been the co-president of the campus Zionist student group, Tikvah.

The ruling, by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg, stated that “the administration has engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the opposing parties in an attempt to ensure that the rights of all persons are respected, and to minimize the potential for violence and unsafe conditions,” the Daily Californian reported.

The ruling is important because Zionist organizations have stepped up their efforts to shut down pro-Palestinian activities on college campuses by filing complaints of anti-Semitism under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and they often point to the Feliber case to bolster their claims.

~ American Muslims for Palestine The Daily Calfornian contributed to this report