Hundreds of Penn affiliates sign petition against lawsuit seeking names of Jewish employees, students

Hundreds of Penn community members have signed a petition criticizing a recent lawsuit filed against the University by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The suit — filed in a Pennsylvania federal court on Nov. 18 — argues that Penn “refused to comply” with a July subpoena seeking information related to an ongoing antisemitism investigation. The petition supports the University’s refusal to submit information related to Jewish employees’ discrimination complaints, Jewish-related campus groups' membership lists, and Jewish Studies Program employee names.

“Penn has worked diligently to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish life on campus,” a University spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian — adding that the University has “cooperated extensively with the EEOC, providing over 100 documents, totaling nearly 900 pages.”

The University has not turned over lists of Jewish employees, Jewish student employees, or their personal contact information to the federal government, according to the spokesperson — writing that “violating their privacy and trust is antithetical to ensuring Penn’s Jewish community feels protected and safe.”

The petition condemning the EEOC’s requests — circulated in part by Wharton School and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Amanda Shanor — received signatures from Penn students, faculty, and staff members. 

“We offer our strongest support for the University of Pennsylvania’s decision to refuse to collect and share lists of names and personal contact information of Jewish students, faculty, and staff with the federal government,” the petition reads. 

In a statement to the DP, Shanor described the EEOC’s demands as “alarming.”

“The history of government demands for lists of Jewish people is one of the most terrifying in world history,” Shanor wrote. “I hope that students, faculty, and staff — Jewish and non-Jewish alike — will tell their family and friends about the government’s demand for a list of Penn’s Jews.”

A University spokesperson clarified that Penn provided information on employees who lodged complaints and “consented to have their information shared,” but not for those who objected. 

Penn Graduate School of Education professor Sigal Ben-Porath, who co-authored the petition, highlighted what she sees as historical comparisons with the agency’s demands in a statement to the DP.

“In 1941, the Dutch government had the Jews register as such — and this is how Nazis found many of my family members,” Ben-Porath wrote. “Jews at Penn and beyond have diverse views on politics, and on the efforts to fight antisemitism; I do think we are united in our strong opposition to being put on a list.”

Several of Penn’s student and faculty groups outlined similar concerns. 

“We support serious efforts to address antisemitism on campus, and we recognize and appreciate the EEOC’s concerns for civil rights and workplace protections,” Penn Hillel and Meor Penn wrote in a joint statement. “At the same time, we are deeply concerned that the EEOC is now seeking lists of individuals identified as Jewish, including their personal home addresses, phone numbers, and private emails, based solely on their affiliation with Jewish organizations on campus — and without their consent.” 

The Executive Committee of the University of Pennsylvania’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors similarly wrote in a Nov. 19 statement that historically, “allowing regimes to collect lists of Jewish people has not boded well for their safety.” 

“Providing the requested information would not aid in the fight against antisemitism, and would in fact gravely endanger and violate the privacy of the very people the EEOC purports to protect,” the statement added.

In an interview with the DP, vice president of AAUP-Penn Lorena Grundy expressed that Penn‘s refusal to turn over the private employer data thus far — and its decision to reject the White House federal funding compact in October — could mark a shift in the University’s dealings with the federal government.  

“I’m hopeful that the University is choosing to defend its values, to defend the privacy and the safety of Jewish people at Penn and everyone in the Penn community over caving to awful demands from the federal government,” Grundy said. “Everybody I have talked to finds this demand from the EEOC to be really concerning and agrees with the University administration’s decision to withhold that information.” 

The EEOC’s demands, according to Shanor, may “establish the government’s power” to request similar lists targeting other groups — including “immigrants, protestors, or those to teach or study certain topics.” 

Shanor cautioned the Penn community to “not think the government’s demands of Penn are its last,” especially “against the backdrop of the administration’s attempts to silence political opponents, chill speech and protest, erase history, and quash academic freedom.”

“The administration appears to be laying the groundwork to more aggressively surveil and silence ideas and individuals with which it disagrees,” Shanor added. “That is something that should terrify us all.”

---