The University of California, Berkeley has been sued by Jewish groups who said it has become a hotbed of “unchecked” anti-Semitism, including at its elite law school, Reuters reports.

According to a complaint by the nonprofit Louis D Brandeis Center, UC Berkeley’s leadership turned a blind eye to the long-festering problem of anti-Semitism on campus, even after displays of harassment and physical violence against Jews following the Oct 7 attack on Israel.

The complaint filed in San Francisco federal court is among the first against a major university since the conflict between Israel and Hamas sparked protests on many college campuses.

It described two protesters striking the head of a Jewish undergraduate draped in an Israeli flag with a metal water bottle, and how a faculty member allegedly cut short a class for 1,000 freshmen to go on an 18-minute anti-Israel rant.

The complaint also said “no fewer” than 23 law school groups have anti-Jewish policies. It said these include requirements that invited speakers to repudiate Zionism, and Jewish students wanting to provide pro bono legal services undergo “Palestine 101” training that emphasises Israel’s supposed illegitimacy.

In a statement, UC Berkeley said it has long been committed to confronting anti-Semitism, and that while it cannot censor offensive speech it recognised that some demonstrations have been “upsetting and frightening” to Jewish students.