The California Faculty Association rejected allegations of “blatant antisemitism” by Jewish organizations after the union asked political candidates to disclose if they’ve ever accepted money from or been endorsed by two prominent Jewish groups, defending the move as an effort to protect academic freedom.
The allegations come after the California State University faculty union sent an endorsement questionnaire to state candidates which asked about their relationship to the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California — a nonpartisan coalition of Jewish groups across the state — and the bipartisan, pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
First reported by Politico, the questionnaire read, “Partnering with the Labor Movement means rejecting campaign contributions and endorsements from groups that harm working people. Do you have endorsements or take contributions from groups and sectors like JPAC, AIPAC, the Oil Industry, the Tobacco Industry, police associations, etc.?”
The faculty union acknowledged that the question was “poorly framed” and created an impression that the union was “specifically targeting Jewish groups” but called Politico’s reporting — which said that “the faculty union won’t support candidates who accept money from groups that ‘harm working people’” — a “mischaracterization” of the question and “misinformation.”
“We apologize for not being more careful with the formulation of that question and the confusion and hurt feelings that this article has caused,” the union said in a statement Wednesday. “We are taking this opportunity to be clear and on the record that CFA did not say, nor do we believe that, Jewish groups or individuals are harmful to working people. CFA also did not say and does not believe that accepting contributions from Jewish donors simply because of their identity is harmful.”
The Bay Area chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council was quick to condemn the faculty union for “blatant antisemitism” and said the union is “no longer cloaking its bigotry” and called the questionnaire an “antisemitic litmus test in the guise of ‘dismantling oppression.’”
In a scathing letter to CFA leadership, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California defended its organizations — which it said overwhelmingly serve low-income communities of color and reflect the labor movement’s values of solidarity and inclusion — and called on the faculty union to publicly affirm that California’s Jewish community “has a rightful place in civic and political life.”
“JPAC does not make campaign contributions or endorsements – our work is to strengthen the very systems that working families depend on,” said the organization’s executive director, David Bocarsly in a statement. “To suggest that our community’s statewide voice, and the agencies that feed, house, and care for vulnerable Californians, ‘harm working people’ is both misguided and deeply offensive. It echoes age-old antisemitic tropes and sets a dangerous precedent for Jewish civic participation in California.”
In a statement Wednesday, AIPAC said “it’s outrageous to discriminate against pro-Israel Americans” and “ostracizing fellow citizens who are engaged in the democratic process…is contrary to American values and interests.”
The faculty association said it should not have included the Jewish groups in the question, since JPAC does not raise money for political candidates and AIPAC does not contribute money to state candidates.
The union said the question was meant to address issues around academic freedom at a time when “faculty and academic freedom are under attack,” citing the Trump administration’s “loyalty oaths” sent to universities in order to receive federal funding and California universities’ handing over of faculty members’ personal information as part of the Trump administration’s investigations into antisemitism on college campuses across the country.
The faculty group said the question was specifically meant to address the controversial antisemitism bill — AB 715 — Newsom signed earlier this month, which establishes a new Office of Civil Rights and a statewide Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator in an effort to rein in antisemitism in schools. The California Faculty Association strongly opposed the bill — along with other educator groups, including the California Teachers Association — over concerns it would chill free speech and threaten educators’ academic freedom to teach current events.
“Our concern about AIPAC and JPAC was directly related to our policy issues to protect academic freedom for all educators,” the union said. “These organizations have previously taken positions that run contrary to our efforts to protect these rights.”
JPAC was a staunch supporter of AB 715 and publicly condemned the California Teachers Association for their opposition, which it said put the safety of Jewish students at risk. AIPAC did not take a public stance on AB 715, but the faculty union said the group has “taken positions on academic freedom that contradict our values as a union.” The union did not elaborate on which bills or issues AIPAC has supported that the faculty association does not agree with.
The faculty association said it is more closely reviewing the candidate endorsement questionnaire process and will be “more careful and more specific” in questions about sensitive topics.