On Wednesday, November 8, Stand With Us posted an article urging support for Kenneth L. Marcus’s recent nomination for the position of assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education. Stand With Us, an international, non-profit Israel education organization, is urging supporters of Marcus to call or email thier senators in order to fight a vigorous smear campaign being conducted by anti-Israel organizations. The entire text of the article can be found below. YOUR ACTION NEEDED Support Ken Marcus’ Nomination Kenneth Marcus, an outstanding defender of civil rights for Jews and many other communities, was recently nominated for assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education. Now he is under attack by anti-Israel extremists seeking to derail his nomination, and we can’t let them win. We need you to CALL and EMAIL the senators on the committee that decides if Marcus gets the position and urge them to vote for his confirmation. This is the message you can share with them: Kenneth Marcus is an outstanding defender of civil rights. I oppose the smear campaign against him by anti-Israel groups and strongly support his nomination for assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. department of education. Relevant Background Information: Kenneth Marcus is an incredibly qualified candidate for assistant secretary for civil rights. A law professor with a degree from University of California, Berkeley, he served in the second Bush Administration as the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s deputy assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity. He was the de facto head of the U.S. Department of Education’s civil right office and the staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. According to The Atlantic, the administration “started taking a stronger approach to enforcing civil-rights laws” under Marcus’ leadership. He is also the president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center For Human Rights Under Law. The reason Marcus is being subjected to a smear campaign is his outspoken advocacy against anti-Semitism, including cases of bigotry that involve Israel. Anti-Israel extremists are worried that if Jewish students get all the protections that they deserve, it will be more difficult to spread hate against Jews and Israelis. They’re right, which is why we must stand up for the civil rights of Jews, and all other communities that face discrimination, by supporting Marcus’ nomination.