The American administration requested a list of Jewish employees on campus. This request has been compared to the methods of Nazi Germany.
An approach that shocked. This Tuesday, March 31, 2026, a federal judge in Philadelphia authorized the American administration to collect information on people of Jewish faith at the University of Pennsylvania as part of an investigation into discrimination within the campus. Groups of students and professors denounced this approach, compared to the methods of the Nazis.
The origin of this scandal is an investigation into anti-Semitism carried out by the EEOC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to the latter, the university tolerates a hostile educational environment towards the Jewish community. The commission then requested contact information for campus employees working in Jewish-related organizations.
“Serious privacy concernsâ€
“Although clumsily worded, the request had an understandable purpose,” federal judge Gerald Pappert told ABC. And explain wanting to obtain “information about people in the Jewish community at the University of Pennsylvania who may have suffered or witnessed anti-Semitism in the workplace.” He also described as “unfortunate and inappropriate” the comparison made by students and professors with the methods of the Nazis. “Jewish employees are reasonably likely to have relevant information as to whether the university has subjected people to religious discrimination,” the judge said.
For its part, the University of Pennsylvania has indicated that it intends to appeal this decision. “We remain committed to combating anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, and have taken several steps to prevent and address these despicable events,†a campus spokesperson said. According to the latter, “requiring a list of Jewish staff raises serious privacy concerns”: “The university does not maintain lists of employees by religion.”
