Videos from the Second Bristol-Sheffield Hallam Colloquium on Contemporary Anti-Semitism, chaired by Lesley Klaff and J.G. Campbell, are now available here. Heart of the Campus Building at Sheffield Hallam University This past fall, LDB President and General Counsel Kenneth L. Marcus spoke at the Second Bristol-Sheffield Hallam Colloquium on Contemporary Anti-Semitism. The theme of the colloquium was “Anti-Semitism in the Media: The Old and The New.” Panelists spoke about a diversity of topics, ranging from anti-Semitic language in German liberal web discourse to Palestinian liberation theology as a medium for contemporary anti-Semitism. Marcus presented a talk entitled “The Ideology of Jihadi Digital Mass Media,” in which he discussed the prevalence of anti-Semitism in online magazines of Jihadi organizations. Marcus explained how criticism of Jews—previously lumped together with criticism of Christians or Westerners in general—has grown more pointed, especially in Dabiq, an online periodical of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Jihadi mass media is featuring an increasingly specific stereotype of Jewish people. Their use of anti-Semitism, according to Marcus, serves four main functions: to market their organizations, inspire conversion, explain their worldview, and motivate action from their followers. Jihadi organizations, both those which appeal to the notion of a “near enemy” in Middle Eastern regimes, as well as those which oppose a “far enemy” in the United States and the West, seek to justify their global ambitions through a discriminatory perception of Jewish people. The Second Bristol-Sheffield Hallam Colloquium on Contemporary Anti-Semitism is an annual joint venture between Bristol University’s Department of Religion & Theology and Sheffield Hallam University’s Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice. Speakers are invited from the UK, Europe, Israel, and the United States to share their work and research on anti-Semitism in the modern world. At September’s colloquium, President Marcus was joined by numerous scholars and activists, including Ben Cohen, Director of Coalitions at the Israel Project; Peter Wells, Professor of Public Policy Analysis at Sheffield Hallam University; Sital Dhillon, Head of the Department for Law and Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University; and Bernard Harrison, Emeritus E.E. Ericksen Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah. The conference was held on September 13-15, 2016 at Sheffield Hallam University.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder On New Year’s Eve, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed two anti-BDS bills into law. The bipartisan legislation—previously bill HB 5821 sponsored by Reps. Al Pscholka, Mike Calton, Jeremy Moss, and Andy Schor, and bill HB 5822 sponsored by Rep. Robert Wittenberg—prohibits the state from hiring businesses that boycott individuals or public entities of a foreign nation. The new law states that the Department of Management and Budget and all state agencies “may not enter into a contract with a person to acquire or dispose of supplies, services, or information technology unless the contract includes a representation that the person is not currently engaged in, and an agreement that the person will not engage in, the boycott of a person based in or doing business with a strategic partner.” These measures, which are now Public Acts 526 and 527 of 2016, condemn national origin discrimination and thus the efforts of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS). In effect, the new legislation outlaws business relations between public entities of the state of Michigan and companies that practice BDS policies. The Public Acts protect Michigan’s economy from the devastating effects of boycotting Israel. Michigan benefits from tens of millions of dollars in annual economic trade with Israeli entities and partners with commercial interests in Israel. Their trade encompasses some of the state’s most important economic sectors—namely, technology research and development, defense, and health sciences. The BDS effort to restrict trade with Israel would threaten the future prosperity of both Michigan and Israel, a danger which Public Acts 526-527 effectively mitigate. The recent legislation sends a strong message that Michigan will not support the anti-Semitism and intolerance of campaigns like the BDS movement. It is not only an anti-BDS victory, but also a triumph against prejudice and the practice of holding Israel to a double standard. Michigan’s efforts come in the wake of similar action from other states in recent months. Ohio passed an anti-BDS law in December, following legislation in Pennsylvania in November, California in September, New Jersey in August, and Rhode Island in June. Michigan joins awcwnrwwn other states in opposing BDS. This new legislation marks the rising tide of state governmental efforts against BDS and points to continued success of the anti-BDS movement.
Lea Spyer Algemeiner January 13, 20175 A legal expert last week called the US Department of Education (DoED) “paralyzed” when it comes to protecting Jewish students, due to the absence of a system-wide definition of antisemitism. In an op-ed in Politico on Wednesday, Kenneth Marcus — president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the author of The Definition of Antisemitism — wrote that DoEd’s department charged with combating hate crimes on campus is “stymied by antisemitism cases,” even though the phenomenon has reached “tipping point around the country.” To rectify the situation, argued Marcus — former head of the DoEd’s Office for Civil Rights — called on the body to adopt the State Department’s definition, which “addresses a core concern on campus, exactly where anti-Israel activities cross the line into antisemitism.” Marcus’ comments echo the demands of a stalled bipartisan Congressional bill, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, whose opponents claim will infringe on free-speech rights. House representatives and legal experts rejected this on the grounds that the bill was carefully worded to uphold constitutional freedoms. Marcus called the bill “encouraging,” but urged lawmakers to prioritize its passage now that Congress is back in session. We must “give the new secretary of education the tools necessary to stamp out this ugly blight of campus antisemitism,” he wrote. The Antisemitism Awareness Act was first brought to the Senate in early December, where it passed unanimously. An identical motion in the House failed to pass due to scheduling issues. Original Article
Katherine Hung Brandeis Blog January 13, 2017 On New Year’s Eve, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed two anti-BDS bills into law. The bipartisan legislation—previously bill HB 5821 sponsored by Reps. Al Pscholka, Mike Calton, Jeremy Moss, and Andy Schor, and bill HB 5822 sponsored by Rep. Robert Wittenberg—prohibits the state from hiring businesses that boycott individuals or public entities of a foreign nation. The new law states that the Department of Management and Budget and all state agencies “may not enter into a contract with a person to acquire or dispose of supplies, services, or information technology unless the contract includes a representation that the person is not currently engaged in, and an agreement that the person will not engage in, the boycott of a person based in or doing business with a strategic partner.” These measures, which are now Public Acts 526 and 527 of 2016, condemn national origin discrimination and thus the efforts of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS). In effect, the new legislation outlaws business relations between public entities of the state of Michigan and companies that practice BDS policies. The Public Acts protect Michigan’s economy from the devastating effects of boycotting Israel. Michigan benefits from tens of millions of dollars in annual economic trade with Israeli entities and partners with commercial interests in Israel. Their trade encompasses some of the state’s most important economic sectors—namely, technology research and development, defense, and health sciences. The BDS effort to restrict trade with Israel would threaten the future prosperity of both Michigan and Israel, a danger which Public Acts 526-527 effectively mitigate. The recent legislation sends a strong message that Michigan will not support the anti-Semitism and intolerance of campaigns like the BDS movement. It is not only an anti-BDS victory, but also a triumph against prejudice and the practice of holding Israel to a double standard. Michigan’s efforts come in the wake of similar action from other states in recent months. Ohio passed an anti-BDS law in December, following legislation in Pennsylvania in November, California in September, New Jersey in August, and Rhode Island in June. Michigan joins awcwnrwwn other states in opposing BDS. This new legislation marks the rising tide of state governmental efforts against BDS and points to continued success of the anti-BDS movement. Original Article
Katherine Hung Brandeis Blog January 13, 2017 Videos from the Second Bristol-Sheffield Hallam Colloquium on Contemporary Anti-Semitism, chaired by Lesley Klaff and J.G. Campbell, are now available here. This past fall, LDB President and General Counsel Kenneth L. Marcus spoke at the Second Bristol-Sheffield Hallam Colloquium on Contemporary Anti-Semitism. The theme of the colloquium was “Anti-Semitism in the Media: The Old and The New.” Panelists spoke about a diversity of topics, ranging from anti-Semitic language in German liberal web discourse to Palestinian liberation theology as a medium for contemporary anti-Semitism. Marcus presented a talk entitled “The Ideology of Jihadi Digital Mass Media,” in which he discussed the prevalence of anti-Semitism in online magazines of Jihadi organizations. Marcus explained how criticism of Jews—previously lumped together with criticism of Christians or Westerners in general—has grown more pointed, especially in Dabiq, an online periodical of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Jihadi mass media is featuring an increasingly specific stereotype of Jewish people. Their use of anti-Semitism, according to Marcus, serves four main functions: to market their organizations, inspire conversion, explain their worldview, and motivate action from their followers. Jihadi organizations, both those which appeal to the notion of a “near enemy” in Middle Eastern regimes, as well as those which oppose a “far enemy” in the United States and the West, seek to justify their global ambitions through a discriminatory perception of Jewish people. The Second Bristol-Sheffield Hallam Colloquium on Contemporary Anti-Semitism is an annual joint venture between Bristol University’s Department of Religion & Theology and Sheffield Hallam University’s Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice. Speakers are invited from the UK, Europe, Israel, and the United States to share their work and research on anti-Semitism in the modern world. At September’s colloquium, President Marcus was joined by numerous scholars and activists, including Ben Cohen, Director of Coalitions at the Israel Project; Peter Wells, Professor of Public Policy Analysis at Sheffield Hallam University; Sital Dhillon, Head of the Department for Law and Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University; and Bernard Harrison, Emeritus E.E. Ericksen Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah. The conference was held on September 13-15, 2016 at Sheffield Hallam University. Original Article