UPenn faculty condemn Trump administration's demand for 'lists of Jews'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Tue 13 Jan 2026 16.12 EST
Last modified on Tue 13 Jan 2026 16.20 EST


Several faculty groups have denounced the Trump administration’s efforts to obtain information about Jewish professors, staff and students at the University of Pennsylvania – including personal emails, phone numbers and home addresses – as government abuse with “ominous historical overtones”.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is demanding the university turn over names and personal information about Jewish members of the Penn community as part of the administration’s stated goal to combat antisemitism on campuses. But some Jewish faculty and staff have condemned the government’s demand as “a visceral threat to the safety of those who would find themselves identified because compiling and turning over to the government ‘lists of Jews’ conjures a terrifying history”, according to a press release put out by the groups’ lawyers.

The EEOC sued Penn in November over the university’s refusal to fully comply with its demands. On Tuesday, the American Association of University Professors’ national and Penn chapters, the university’s Jewish Law Students Association and its Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty, and the American Academy of Jewish Research filed a motion in federal court to intervene in the case.

“These requests would require Penn to create and turn over a centralized registry of Jewish students, faculty, and staff – a profoundly invasive and dangerous demand that intrudes deeply into the freedoms of association, religion, speech, and privacy enshrined in the First Amendment,” the groups argued.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/upenn-trump-jews-list

---

Link to FILING (PDF) - https://tmsnrt.rs/3LKT7Ub

This was a big news story here in Philly today as people are (rightly) freaking out.

[chowder66]

1. This is DISGUSTING!

[Katcat]

17. Aren't

Ivanka and Jared both Jewish?

[Joinfortmill]

45. Yes, what the hell is this about?

[ashredux]

2. WTF!!!

[UpInArms]

3. When it looks like a nazi

Acts like a Nazi and does Nazi things

It is NAZI

[Farmer-Rick]

16. Exactly

A list of all Jews???????? Next they'll issue arm bands.

Nazis ruining the USA. Dead Hitler would be proud.

[progressoid]

4. This can't be true because I heard on AM radio that Democrats hate Jews while Republicans are Jews' best friends.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. I won't say what I really want to say.

Jewish anger is verboten. I am not surprised by this, nor would I be surprised by those who would support this, in theory or reality, to the point about rounding up "unpopular" Jews.

The rhyme of history.

[KatyaR]

18. I'll be angry for you.

I live across the street from a synagogue. It would destroy me if anything happened to that place or the people who worship there.

[Cha]

21. My Anger Too...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3598229

☮️🌻🌸🕯️🕊️💜

[The Wizard]

6. The virulent anti Semite Dick Nixon

sent one of his henchmen to the Department of Labor to get the names of all the Jews working there after the Department released an unfavorable jobs report. With each passing day Impeachment becomes a more reasonable path to take. What will it take for Congressional Republican punks to stand for the Constitution instead of a raging ignorant tyrant. Hell, Caligula seems more reasonable than Agolf Twittler.

[hlthe2b]

7. "fighting Antisemitism, sure..." If any are that credulous, meet Chief Nazi, Stephen Miller

Hard to tell the difference, isn't it?

[Katcat]

19. Stephen miller

Is either insane or an outright psychopath.

[barbtries]

25. he can be both.

i believe that he is. he is also extremely hateful and powerful.

needs a perp walk and a cell to live in right now.

[Joinfortmill]

46. Stephen Miller is Jewish

[Solly Mack]

8. Damn

No. Just No.

WTAF.

[TNNurse]

9. Let's start a list

Jared Kushner
Ivanka Trump
Their children
Charles Kushner, the ambassador to France
How many others in his administration??? How many of his lawyers??

Just when you think he cannot get worse....

[tekriter]

10. Someone refresh my memory...what did the last group that did this call themselves?

Nazis, if I recall. But I may be confused.

[Biophilic]

11. I can't believe they did this for any reason considering the history. I'm totally appalled and a bit sick.

[Skittles]

12. I did nazi this coming

oh wait, YES I DID

nothing they do surprises me

[TheRickles]

13. This might be the time when a big university finally draws a line in the sand.

Here's hoping UPenn doesn't cave.

[SouthBayDem]

14. That's giving, "we had to destroy the village to save it."

But then again he had written: “No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S.”

[twodogsbarking]

15. Put me on the fuckin' list.

[Cha]

20. GD the Nazi Fascist FUCKS Demanding This...

Fry in Hell ASSHOLES.

[Pinback]

22. Why is everybody overreacting?

They just want to commend them all by giving them a gold star!

of course

[70sEraVet]

23. Are they using the definition of a Jew, as anyone having three or more....

grandparents who are Jews? I just have one Jewish grandparent, so I guess I would be classified as a "Mischling" (mongrel).


Nothing scary about this at all.

[Nigrum Cattus]

24. Just a reminder

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

[maxsolomon]

26. They're demanding the information to HELP, people.

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is demanding the university turn over names and personal information about Jewish members of the Penn community as part of the administration’s stated goal to combat antisemitism on campuses.

The University of Pennsylvania was among dozens of US universities to come under federal investigation over alleged antisemitism in the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza. In response, the university established a taskforce to study antisemitism, implemented a series of measures and shared hundreds of pages of documents to comply with government demands.

“The EEOC remains steadfast in its commitment to combatting workplace antisemitism and seeks to identify employees who may have experienced antisemitic harassment. Unfortunately, the employer continues to refuse to identify members of its workforce who may have been subjected to this unlawful conduct,” the EEOC chair, Andrea Lucas, said in a statement at the time. “An employer’s obstruction of efforts to identify witnesses and victims undermines the EEOC’s ability to investigate harassment.”

Basically, the Trump EEOC plan to shake UPenn down further, and want Jewish faculty, staff, and students to detail how awful Pro-Gaza protesters were after 10/7, and how much it hurt their feelings/made them feel "unsafe".

[AloeVera]

39. A shakedown is right. In service of the pro-Israel lobby and Netanyahu.

You might have noticed very few are paying attention to how this all came about. That no longer matters, now that it's been painted as involving a "Jewish list", evoking real, visceral emotions and fear.

Can you say manipulation and weaponization of anti-semitism? It's a mouthful but it's real and it's in service of the pro-Israel lobby, donors and Netanyahu.

I guess the crazy dichotomy in the Trump Admin - Miller fascists vs the pro-Israel lobby - will result in crossed wires sometimes, intentionally or not. It's a very scary situation, for Palestinians and Jews alike imo.

But the ones actually and actively being harmed are Palestinians and free speech and human rights advocates. This is about silencing dissent against a genocide, not compiling "Jewish lists".

[Joinfortmill]

47. Ah

[MadameButterfly]

27. WTF? I know they are cruel and racist,

that Trump is losing his mind and his SS is shooting people in the face, but I STILL didn't think they would be this obvious.
They would get away with more havoc if they didn't announce to the whole world that Trump is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler.
They're preparing to invade half the hemisphere and they are bothered by Jews in a particular university in PA?
Are they throwing darts at a board until no one can give another thought to the Epstein Files? Or have they just gone mad with power?

I have been repeating that malignant narcissists destroy themselves eventually but I couldn't have imagined it happening this way.

[Wednesdays]

28. It's as though those people don't even think.

The historical implications alone should have made them balk at this effort.

[choie]

29. They're asking for the names, emails etc of Jews

under the pretense of fighting antisemitism? WHAT THE FUCK!

[COL Mustard]

30. Your papers, please.

Oh, I'm sorry, your papers are not in order. Please come with me.

That's next, I'm sure.

[cbabe]

32. Already doing it.

Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com › us-citizen-detained-ice-told-his-real-id-fake-2076724
US citizen detained by ICE and told his REAL ID is "fake"
May 24, 2025Leonardo García Venegas, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and detained by ICE despite presenting a valid license.

MSN
https://www.msn.com › en-us › news › us › us-citizen-arrested-by-ice-after-offering-to-show-passport-sparks-backlash › ar-AA1S91KO
US citizen arrested by ICE after offering to show passport sparks ... - MSN
A 20-year-old Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen was wrongfully detained by immigration agents this week during an enforcement operation in the Cedar

OPB
https://www.opb.org › article › 2025 › 10 › 16 › immigration-ice-arrests-propublica-white-house-deportation-immigrants-sweep
More than 170 US citizens have been held by immigration agents. They've ...
Oct 16, 2025ProPublica compiled and reviewed every case it could find of agents holding citizens against their will, whether during immigration raids

[IbogaProject]

31. Sorry Upenn has been harbiloring a racist prof for years

Dr Fox at Upenn law has been publishing racist screeds against afirmative action for years. So now her "race" is targeted and now everyone is upset.

[Behind the Aegis]

35. That is the same how?

Dr. Fox? Who is she? An example of her articles?

[reACTIONary]

43. Amy Wax?

Penn Suspends Amy Wax, Law Professor Accused of Making Racist Statements

NYT, no paywall

[ToxMarz]

33. Jews won't be the last list they compile.

Because of course, they want to help EVERYONE!

[TomSlick]

34. It's been a long day so the brain may not be working well, but

I am unable to imagine any legitimate reason the government wants this information.

The stated justification that the EEOC "is demanding the university turn over names and personal information about Jewish members of the Penn community as part of the administration’s stated goal to combat antisemitism on campuses" seems pretextual.

Am I missing something?

[Behind the Aegis]

36. The reason is so the US government can "combat" anti-Semitism.

It is a pathetic excuse to drum up further attacks on higher education "in the name of" combatting anti-Semitism. Of course, anti-Semitism isn't fought by "collecting" the names of Jews, even if supposedly for good intentions. It is also easy to see how quickly anti-Semitism is mocked by attacking the "wrong" kind of Jews, even accusing them of being responsible, to making it out as if the Jews are really the problem. I am happily shocked most in this thread are upset by this move and didn't dive into blaming Jews, themselves, or otherwise focus on something else all together.

Combatting anti-Semitism is a good, and proper thing, but this is not the way to do it, and, if anything, makes Jews less safe.

[TomSlick]

37. I can only come up with dangerous reasons for the feds to demand this information.

Then again, it's been a long day, so maybe I'm missing something.

[Aussie105]

41. Straight from the Nazi WW2 playbook!

Categorise everything!
People, possessions, etc.
Record keeping is important, nicht wahr?

[Rocknation]

38. It strikes me that a more efficient way to fight anti-semitism

would be to ferret out the ANTI-SEMITES.

Cue the Hogan's Heroes theme...


Rocknation

[Aussie105]

40. The Holocaust museum can supply a long list of Jewish names.

Grab a couple of hundred, generate fake information for each, and pass the list on.

Job done!

[LudwigPastorius]

42. Trumpists (very fine people) just want this information so they can protect Jews.

Sure...



Go fuck yourself.

[Joinfortmill]

44. WTF? I don't get it.

Trump's SIL is Jewish and he's best buds with Netanyahu.