Dhillon calls antisemitism in the United States a national crisis
U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, speaking at a gala of the Israeli-American Council in San Diego, called the rise of antisemitism in the country a national crisis. According to her, combating antisemitism will remain one of her top priorities at the U.S. Department of Justice, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Dhillon said that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is working to ensure that all Americans, including Israeli Americans, can live, study, pray and work without fear. She stressed that the rise in antisemitism is not a series of isolated incidents and requires nationwide resolve.
Cases against universities
The official spoke about lawsuits against universities and businesses, criminal proceedings involving hate crimes, as well as settlements totaling nearly half a billion dollars. She mentioned a lawsuit against Harvard University under the civil rights law. It alleges that Jewish and Israeli students were harassed and excluded from certain events or spaces.
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Dhillon also mentioned two lawsuits against the University of California, Los Angeles, related to incidents at protest encampments. According to her, Jewish students were blocked from access there, attacked and pepper-sprayed. She also reported agreements with Columbia, Northwestern, Cornell and Brown universities and said that more than 100 colleges, universities, medical schools and law schools are under investigation.
Lawsuit against an Oakland café
Separately, Dhillon drew attention to legal action against Jerusalem Café in Oakland, which the U.S. Department of Justice accuses of refusing to serve Jewish customers. The department filed the lawsuit on June 9, 2025. As stated in the lawsuit, one of the establishment’s owners allegedly asked a visitor whether he was a Zionist, called the Star of David a “violent hat,” demanded that he leave the café and called the police.
In another episode cited in the lawsuit, a customer was allegedly told that he was not wanted in the café because he was Jewish and a Zionist. The establishment’s owners said the legal proceedings were an attempt by “Zionist organizations and the federal government” to suppress support for Palestinians. According to Dhillon, the initial investigation was opened after a report from the community; she urged Jews and Israeli Americans to document incidents and provide testimony.
