UCLA student council condemns campus event with former Israeli hostage

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) leadership was scolded last week by its Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) over its sponsorship of an event with a former Israeli hostage.

On April 14, an event titled "505 Days in Captivity: Omer Shem Tov's Testimony of Resilience" featuring former Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov took place at UCLA. The event was organized by Hillel at UCLA and was co-sponsored by the UCLA Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Shem Tov was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists attacked Israel. He was released from captivity in February 2025, and began advocating for the hostages who remained in the terrorists' hands.

The USAC held a meeting on the same day as the event with Shem Tov, during which the letter was apparently discussed, according to documents on the group's website show. It is unclear when the letter was sent to the UCLA administration, UCLA Hillel, the UCLA Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and other stakeholders.

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In the letter, the USAC objected to "the selective platforming of narratives that obscure the broader reality of ongoing state violence," before going on to accuse Israel of carrying out a "genocide in Gaza" as well as an "illegal military campaign into Lebanon." The USAC also affirmed its "unwavering solidarity with Palestinian students."

"Institutional sponsorship of this event reflects a troubling disregard for Palestinian life and contributes to a campus climate in which Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students are further marginalized, silenced, and harmed. Universities must not be complicit in the production or amplification of one-sided narratives that erase systems of oppression and occupation," the letter read.

Talia Davood, a student who helped lead the event and who serves as the USAC General Representative, criticized the move and told Fox News Digital that the condemnation was passed while she was absent. Davood described it as "distasteful and deeply disheartening," especially because it coincided with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as Yom HaShoah.

She argued that targeting Shem Tov for sharing his experience "reflects a troubling willingness to dismiss Jewish trauma when it is inconvenient."

Shem Tov, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said that the backlash reflected a broader unwillingness to hear perspectives that challenge existing narratives.

"If you are willing to silence a survivor of 505 days in captivity to protect a preconceived narrative, it’s worth pausing," he said. "When a worldview requires you to override your own values, something is misaligned. The hope is that it’s the worldview that changes — because the values are worth keeping."

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UCLA Hillel Executive Director Daniel Gold forcefully rejected the condemnation and accused student leaders of opposing "dialogue" and "truth."

"Members of UCLA student government have once again shown they are anti-dialogue, anti-learning, anti-truth, anti-student, and anti-Jewish in condemning our beautiful event last week with Omer Shem Tov," Gold added. "Omer’s story rang loudly and proudly on campus last week, as the world was observing Yom Hashoah — when we remind ourselves and our allies to never forget the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. How appropriate, then, that Omer was here to help remind UCLA of humanity in times of darkness."

A UCLA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the university stood by the organizers of the event, adding that the message of the gathering was "one of resilience and respect for human rights and dignity." The spokesperson also said that the university would be reviewing the "process by which the letter was issued."

"The condemnation of such a peaceful event to share a story of resilience in the face of extreme suffering is antithetical to the values of our Bruin community," the spokesperson said.

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In February, the Trump administration sued the University of California system, alleging that UCLA created a hostile antisemitic environment for Jewish and Israeli employees. The DOJ claimed that UCLA violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and national origin.

"Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent antisemitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike," then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi said at the time. "Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms."

Prior to the Trump administration lawsuit, UCLA reached a settlement with Jewish students and faculty who sued the school over its handling of anti-Israel protests, including a "Jew Exclusion Zone." The university agreed to pay $6 million in the settlement.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

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Fox News Digital's Bonny Chu contributed to this report.