Once again, the Brandeis Center is pleased to welcome three new members to the team and welcome back an intern from last summer. The new members are law clerks Corey Celt and Jacky Beda and communications intern Ilan Kaplan. Our returning communications intern is Steven Isaacson. Jacky Beda Jacky Beda is currently a rising 2L at George Washington University Law School. Prior to coming to the Brandeis Center, Jacky was an intern for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, an advocacy organization advocating for American engagement abroad through diplomacy, development, foreign aid, and lobbying on Capitol Hill for a stronger and more robust Global Affairs Budget. Jacky is a graduate of Yeshiva University where he earned his B.A. in Political Science in 2014. Jacky was also a member of Yeshiva’s Varsity Basketball Team. Corey Celt Corey Celt is a second year law student at the DePaul University College of Law, where he serves as the president of the International Law Society and as a member of the executive board of the International Human Rights Law Journal. Steven Isaacson Steven is an incoming junior at Clark University planning to major in Political Science and minor in Asian Studies. Raised in Germantown, Maryland, Steven takes interest in music, international affairs, income inequality, and seeing both sides of a debate. Ilan Kaplan Ilan Kaplan is a rising junior at Cornell University. A New Jersey native, Ilan is an English major and active in Jewish life at Cornell. He has served as the student vice president of Chabad on campus, Jewish Life Chair of the AEPi Beta chapter, and as the choreographer for his Jewish a cappella group, “The Chai Notes.”
On Wednesday, June 10, the University of Missouri announced that it was canceling a controversial class planned for Fall 2015. The class was widely contested by pro-Israel organizations and students. George P. Smith, a biology professor at University of Missouri and extreme anti-Zionist was preparing to teach a course entitled “Perspectives on Zionism,” an ironic title considering his singular perspective. Smith, who has no formal degrees in history, political sciences, or Middle Eastern studies, is known for heckling IDF soldiers who came to MU to talk about their experiences and Israel’s commitment to upholding the international laws of warfare and going above and beyond to ensure the safety of non-combatants. Smith interrupted the soldiers, talking over them and asking questions such as “Why do you kill Palestinians?” and “How many U.N. schools have you attacked?” George Smith Smith writes articles touting the Nakba as the defining moment in Jewish history while ignoring the expulsions of Jews from Iraq, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries. Smith fancies himself another Conrad, casting every Israeli and Zionist in the role of Kurtz in a modern day Heart of Darkness. Smith wisely protects himself from being called anti-Semitic by signing off on his articles with reminders that he is a “nonreligious member of Congregation Beth Shalom” and is married to a Jewish woman. He uses phrases to support his arguments such as “well-documented facts tell a less flattering story,” while leaving out said documentation. StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein, along with other pro-Israel organizations, sent strong missives to the MU administrators in charge of the honors courses requesting that they cancel the course. The letter listed the reasons Smith is unfit to teach the class, not least among them that Smith is a biology professor: “Professor Smith, a biologist, has no scholarly expertise in Middle Eastern Studies, the social sciences, or the history of Zionism. This tutorial is the only one taught by someone with no formal training in the topic of study. However, Professor Smith does have extremist political views against Zionism and the state of Israel. His op-eds and statements are anti-Israel polemics which distort facts, deny counter evidence, eliminate context, garble history, demonize Israel, and cite writers known for their animosity to the very existence of a Jewish state. Smith himself contends that Jews must “liberate themselves from Zionism,” and argues that the powerful “Israel Lobby” directs America’s Israel policy.” The letter ended saying, “We urge you to cancel this course which will be a stain on your University’s reputation and a disservice to students or, at the very least, demand that it be co-taught with a professor who has expertise in the field and has very different political views,” offering help in creating a better curriculum. The university was reluctant to give any ground, insisting that the course underwent the same review process as all the other courses taught at the university. However, no students signed up for the course and it was cancelled. The efforts of the pro-Israel organizations and a student-led letter writing campaign raised awareness about the issue and exposed the farce that would have been this class. Its cancellation is a win for honest academic society.
Download PDF Washington D.C.The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) announced today that it is bringing on two new Law Clerks, Jacky Beda and Corey Celt, and three Communications and Development Interns, Steven Isaacson, Ilan Kaplan, and Lee Sutherand. As LDB continues in its mission to defend against incidents of anti-Semitism across college campuses, the new additions to the team provide welcome assistance, coming from universities across the country, and bringing their on-campus expertise to the table. LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus was pleased to welcome the new recruits for the summer, especially in light of the increase in the anti-Semitic atmosphere on college campuses. He says, “There has never been a more crucial time to work on the problem of campus anti-Semitism, and I am delighted to have such active members of their communities join our team. We are glad to have Steven back with us this summer, as he and Jacky, Corey, Lee, and Ilan have begun their work with a passion that is heartening to see.” Ilan was at the heart of an anti-Semitic incident on Cornell University’s campus just this past year, and all the newcomers came to LDB with the knowledge that the next such anti-Semitic incident might be on their own campus. Jacky Beda is currently a rising 2L at George Washington University Law School. Prior to coming to the Brandeis Center, Jacky was an intern for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, an advocacy organization advocating for American engagement abroad through diplomacy, development, foreign aid, and lobbying on Capitol Hill for a stronger and more robust Global Affairs Budget. Jacky is a graduate of Yeshiva University where he earned his B.A. in Political Science in 2014. Corey Celt is a second year law student at the DePaul University College of Law, where he serves as the president of the International Law Society and as a member of the executive board of the International Human Rights Law Journal. Corey is also the founding member and President of DePaul’s LDB Law Student Chapter. Steven Isaacson, a returning intern from last summer, is an incoming junior at Clark University planning to major in Political Science and minor in Asian Studies. Raised in Germantown, Maryland, Steven takes interest in music, international affairs, income inequality, and seeing both sides of a debate. Ilan Kaplan is a rising junior at Cornell University. A New Jersey native, Ilan is an English major and active in Jewish life at Cornell. He has served as the student vice president of Chabad on campus, Jewish Life Chair of the AEPi Beta chapter, and as the choreographer for his Jewish a cappella group, “The Chai Notes.” Lee Sutherland, of Northern Virginia, is going into his senior year at Liberty University. He is a history major and serves as the opinion editor of his school’s newspaper, the Liberty Champion. Over the last two summers, Lee has interned with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties as well as the Chertoff Group, a private security consulting firm.