(The Center Square) – University of California, Berkeley has settled claims that it discriminated against an Israeli professor by denying her a teaching opportunity because of her national origin.
According to the Louis Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which represented Dr. Yael Nativ, an Israeli dance researcher and sociologist, she will receive $60,000 in monetary damages and a personal apology from Chancellor Rich Lyons.
UC Berkeley acknowledged the allegations brought by Dr. Nativ, whose application as a visiting professor was rejected back in 2024 by a department chair allegedly because she is Israeli.
After the incident, the university had not taken action until the lawsuit was filed.
Following the settlement, UC Berkeley will also invite her to return to campus.
“I respect and appreciate Dr. Nativ’s decision to settle this case. She is owed the apology I will provide on behalf of our campus. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Nativ back to Berkeley to teach again,” Chancellor Lyons said in a statement.
The settlement also requires UC Berkeley to rigorously enforce the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, which prohibits discrimination based on any national origin, and respond to future reports.
Paul Eckles, senior litigation counsel at the Brandeis Center, told The Center Square that the damages were determined through negotiation and reflected the harm suffered by Dr. Nativ.
He added that the center hopes the settlement “makes clear that universities cannot discriminate against Israelis under the guise of political debate.”
Back in 2022, Nativ was a visiting professor at UC Berkeley. In reapplying for the 2024-2025 school year, according to the lawsuit, shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Nativ was expressly told by the chair of the department that she was rejected because of the potential backlash of hiring an Israeli professor.
“No one should have to experience discrimination based on where they were born, “ Eckles told The Center Square. “It is sad and startling that this type of overt discrimination could occur at an acclaimed institution like UC Berkeley. What is especially troubling is not just that it happened, but that it took a formal lawsuit to redress the discrimination.”
