Amazing what a little financial reality check can do. After watching the Trump administration yank $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University for failing to do the bare minimum to protect Jewish students, suddenly, UCLA has discovered that maybe—just maybe—letting anti-Semitic mobs run wild on campus isn’t such a great idea.
On Monday, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk announced a new initiative to combat anti-Semitism, declaring that the university is at an “inflection point” and must “push ourselves to extinguish anti-Semitism, completely and definitively.” Quite the change in tone from a school that just a few months ago needed a federal court order to stop aiding and abetting anti-Israel agitators as they blocked Jewish students from classrooms, libraries, and other parts of campus.
Let’s not forget how bad things got at UCLA. It wasn’t just protests—it was segregation. Jewish students were quite literally banned from parts of campus unless they swore loyalty to an anti-Israel cause. With the full knowledge of university officials, activists set up barricades, linked arms, and created a “Jew Exclusion Zone,” where the only way in was to denounce Israel and have someone from the mob “vouch” for you.
UCLA’s administration not only allowed this to happen but helped enforce it. They provided metal barriers and even told Jewish students to go away rather than ensuring their safety. They had every opportunity to step in and shut this nonsense down, but they didn’t—because, like so many elite institutions, they’ve spent years pandering to the most radical activists on campus.
That’s why the lawsuit filed by Jewish students had to happen. Yitzchok Frankel, Joshua Ghayoum, and Eden Shemuelian sued the University of California regents for their blatant inaction. And last August, a federal judge issued an injunction—the first in the nation—ordering UCLA to stop facilitating this insanity.
Now, in the wake of Columbia’s financial reckoning, UCLA is scrambling to show that it suddenly cares about Jewish students. What a coincidence.
7. Education & Anti-Semitism on Campuses
•Trump canceled $400M in federal grants to Columbia University over anti-Semitism concerns.
•Could this extend to UCLA, USC, or other LA schools? The administration may target institutions that don’t curb anti-Semitic protests.
•Expect…— Angeleno Insights (@AngelenoInsight) March 8, 2025
Of course, it shouldn’t have taken legal action or the threat of losing hundreds of millions in federal funding to get UCLA to do the right thing. Protecting students from discrimination should be a given. But for years, universities have let anti-Semitic mobs take over under the guise of “activism,” punishing anyone who dares push back. Now, under Trump, the free ride is over.
So what’s really going on here? Simple—UCLA saw what happened to Columbia and doesn’t want to be next. This isn’t about principles. This is about money. And while their newfound commitment to fighting anti-Semitism is conveniently timed, it’s proof that financial consequences work.
If universities want to operate as far-left indoctrination centers where Jewish students are harassed and intimidated, fine—they can do it without taxpayer dollars. And thanks to the Trump administration’s crackdown, they’re finally starting to realize that.
