UC-Berkeley Law Faculty Statement In Support Of Jewish Students

U.C. Berkeley School of Law Faculty Statement in Support of Jewish Law Students:

We hereby endorse the principle of free and open speech at the law school.  This includes the fundamental principle that all students should be freely admitted to all student groups and under no circumstances should any student be denied admission to any student group.

We are highly aware of the extensive discrimination against Jews in World and U.S history.  In particular, we note that 2 of 3 Jews in Europe were murdered during the Holocaust and that the United States has engaged in extensive discrimination of Jews during its history.

With this background, we also condemn the discriminatory bylaw adopted by a small minority of our law student groups refusing to accept speakers who have Zionist views or beliefs.  We believe this rule is not only wrong but is antithetical to free speech and our community values.  These bylaws would also impermissibly exclude a large majority of our faculty from participating in the work of these organizations, including our Dean.

Many Jews (including some of us signing below who are Jewish) also experience this statement as antisemitism because it denies the existence of the state of Israel, the historical home of the Jewish people.  For many Jews, Zionism is a core component of their identity and ethnic and ancestral heritage. As an educational institution we hope that the student groups that have now endorsed a “No Zionist speakers” pledge will engage in dialogue on these issues.

Initial signatories are members of the Advisory Board of theAcademic Engagement Network.  

Mark G. Yudof, Professor of Law Emeritus, U.C. Berkeley School of Law
Steven Davidoff Solomon, Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of Law, Faculty Advisor Jewish Students Association at Berkeley Law 

Subsequent signatories
Malcolm Feeley, Claire Sanders Clements Professor Emeritus
Peter S. Menell, Koret Professor of Law
Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
Chris Hoofnagle, Teaching Professor of Law
David Singh Grewal, Professor of Law
Mark Gergen, Robert and Joann Burch D.P. Professor of Tax Law and Policy
Paul M. Schwartz, Jefferson E. Peyser Professor of Law
Kenneth A. Bamberger, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Professor of Law
Daniel Farber, Sho Sato Professor of Law
Elisabeth Semel, Chancellor’s Clinical Professor of Law
Richard Buxbaum, Jackson H. Ralston Professor of International Law
Frank Zimring, Simon Professor of Law
Christopher Edley, Jr. , Interim Dean, Berkeley School of Education, Hon. William H. Orrick, Jr. Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus, Berkeley Law School
Eric Stover, Adjunct Professor of Law
Melvin Eisenberg, Jesse H. Choper Professor of Law
Orin Kerr, William G. Simon Professor of Law
Robert P. Bartlett, I. Michael Heyman Professor of Law
Robert Cole, Professor of Law 
Eric Biber, Edward C. Halbach Jr. Professor of Law
Calvin Morrill, Stefan A. Riesenfeld Professor of Law and Professor of Sociology
Eleanor Swift, Professor of Law,
Carolyn Patty Blum, Clinical Professor of Law

• David Bernstein (George Mason), Berkeley Law's "Jew-Free Zone" Controversy
• David Bernstein (George Mason), Some Berkeley Law "Jew Free Zone" Updates
• Eugene Volokh (UCLA), Could a Public Law School Stop Student Groups from Excluding Speakers Based on Their Support of Israel?

• Algemeiner, A Message to UC Berkeley: We Are Zionists Because We Are Jews
• Jewish Journal, Berkeley’s Jewish-Free Zones Are Worse Than You Think
• Jewish Journal, Berkeley Law Doubles Down on Antisemitism
• Jewish News of Northern California, Jewish Students at Berkeley Law Tell Their Side of the Story
• Jewish Telegraph Agency, Does UC Berkeley really have ‘Jew-free zones’? We explain.
• Washington Examiner, UC Berkeley Hits Back at Claims Law School Groups Promoted 'Jewish-free Zones'