Brandeis Center’s Newest Short Video

Gloria Greenfield

 

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights under Law is excited to announce the creation of a new short film called The Louis D. Brandeis Center: For Human Rights Under Law. Produced and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Gloria Greenfield, and edited by two-time Emmy Award winner Raoul Rosenberg, the film highlights the mission of the Louis D. Brandeis Center. The Louis D. Brandeis Center: For Human Rights Under Law starts out with an introduction by Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld, author of Academics against Israel and the Jews, who discusses how the anti-Semitic discourse is still alive in America. He explains that this is a serious problem disguised as ‘hotbeds’ of anti-Israeli sentiments. This is echoed by Dr. Walter Reich, a professor of International Affairs, Ethics and Human Behavior at the George Washington University.

 

In this film, Kenneth L. Marcus , president and general counsel of the Brandeis Center, discusses the start of the Brandeis Center. In the early 2000’s, he saw a spike in anti-Semitism—the LDB Center was a response to this, so that the anti-Semitism sentiment of the early 21st century would be seen as an anomaly rather than as a trend. Events and anti- Israeli protests are highlighted at various universities, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Santa Barbara. For two out of these three schools, alumni talk about the ways in which they experienced anti-Semitism on campus—ranging from verbal to physical harassment.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center: For Human Rights Under Law also highlights some of the perspectives of Alyza D. Lewin, president of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, who explain the importance of allowing students to fight against the anti- Semitic statements. She explains that there is a void in the education for teaching students about their rights, which is being addressed by the Brandeis Center. She further explains that it is important for students to identify discrimination and go to the courts as necessary, because court rulings are often the only things that oppressors willing to listen to. Eugene Kontorovich, professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law echoes this by showing that the law is crucial in the fight for civil rights for many groups, whether that includes Jewish rights or the rights of any other minority group. The efforts are endorsed by Brooke Goldstein, director of the Lawfare project and L. Rachel Lerman, a partner at Akin Group.

Danit Sibovitz , a staff attorney at Brandeis Center, and Joshua Brewster, a senior Civil Rights Legal Fellow at Brandeis Center also discuss the need of legal action as crucial in the fights against any human rights violation.  Specifically, the Brandeis Center does this through three arms—research, education and advocacy. Each of these areas helps all those who are affected have a clearer understanding of the severity of the problem, and what are the legal steps that can be taken. For example, the Brandeis Center introduces a new initiative of law school student chapters that will allow current advocates to get a better sense of the community on campus, and train the next generation’s advocates.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center: For Human Rights Under Law concisely presents the efforts that the Brandeis Center has undertaken to fight campus anti- Semitism. Campus anti-Semitism is a threat to civil rights for all people, and the testimonies in the film show the devastating effects discrimination can have on students.  The film’s release is at an opportune time as it shows that the LDB Center remains strong in its fight against campus anti-Semitism.