The Brandeis Center filed a Title VI complaint to the the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against the University of Southern California due to discrimination of a Jewish student on campus. The student was the victim of a concerted campaign of anti-Semitic harassment that targeted her on the basis of her shared ancestral and ethnic characteristics and sought to exclude her from the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) on account of her Jewish identity. USC students, who were determined to rid the USG of all Jewish Zionists, pressured the student to step down from her duly elected position as Vice President (VP) of the USG because she demonstrated pride in her shared Jewish ancestry and ethnicity by expressing support for a Jewish homeland. Click here to read the full complaint against USC.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is a national public interest legal advocacy organization established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. We represent USC student Rose Ritch, who was elected Vice President of the USC Undergraduate Student Government (“USG”) in February 2020. In recent weeks, Ms. Ritch has been subjected to extreme antisemitic harassment on social media targeting her religious and ethnic identity. Several USC students who clearly appear determined to rid the USG of all Jews who support Israel have posted comments on USC’s Black at USC Instagram page and have sent Ms. Ritch private direct messages (“DM’s”) demonizing Jews who demonstrate pride in their shared Jewish ancestry and ethnicity by expressing support for a Jewish homeland. A USC student has now launched a formal campaign to have Ms. Ritch impeached. Click here to read the full letter to the USC president.