<p>andrewtdx has posted that “whites, and Jews in particular, tend to be reviled in some circles” at Berkeley and that some instuctors “punish” students for, among other things, their religion. (Not clear which religion(s) he meant.) I’m wondering what form being reviled and punished might take. Are Jewish students, in fact, uncomfortable at Berkeley?</p>
<p>No. The only people who might be racially uncomfortable here are African-Americans.</p>
<p>There is a Hillel organization at Cal. I don't think being Jewish would cause you any trouble. There are always students who find Jews to be "exotic" having never seen one previously. Most are tolerant.</p>
<p>to the original poster: sounds like bull sh!t</p>
<p>The Israel-Palestine conflict, when I was at Berkeley (and still, likely, now) was the most popular fuel for campus protests. There are folks on either side of the issue who will say things that are deragotory. This makes many students feel uncomfortable, particularly when many of the professors on the campus are pretty vocal about their opinions on this issue.</p>
<p>That said, the Israel-Palestine conflict is probably still the biggest protest issue on college campuses across the US but especially in CA, so Berkeley is hardly unique in that sense. I won't offer any opinions on why I think this is because such speculation is more appropriate to the Cafe forum. However, I would point out that andrewtdx has expressed elsewhere on this thread what his political beliefs are; the opinions he expresses are pretty common amongst college students across the US who are relatively conservative.</p>