Anti-Semitism - Brandeis Center

June 1, 2018 Rachel Lerman Explains the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act in Newsweek

The Louis D. Brandeis Center’s Vice President, L. Rachel Lerman, Esq., published an op-ed yesterday in Newsweek, supporting the newly introduced Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.

May 31, 2018 LDB’s UCLA Student Leaders and Attorneys Urge Action Following Aggressive Event Disruption

On Friday, May 25, student leaders of UCLA School of Law’s chapter of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) and attorneys at LDB authored a letter sent to UCLA Chancellor Block urging action in response to a recent event disruption on UCLA’s campus. The letter highlights how the recent disruption of a Students Supporting Israel (SSI) event not only violated UCLA Student Code of Conduct policies, but also potentially violated the California Penal Code as well as federal law.

May 30, 2018 Louisiana Governor Signs Anti-BDS Executive Order

The State of Louisiana has become the 25th state to prohibit ties with the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement. On Tuesday, May 22nd, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed an anti-BDS executive order, stating that Louisiana does not and will not support any boycott of Israel.

May 24, 2018 Landmark Anti-Semitism Awareness Act Introduced in House of Representatives

The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act was introduced in both the House of Representatives and Senate. It would provide for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to use the same, widely-adopted definition of anti-Semitism used by the U.S. Department of State.

May 14, 2018 FutureLearn and Yad Vashem’s Online Anti-Semitism Course: Preview of Weeks 5 and 6

The final two weeks of FutureLearn and Yad Vashem’s online course investigating anti-Semitism are now available to the public. Weeks 1 and 2 investigated the definitions and origins of anti-Semitism in both antiquity and the modern era. Weeks 3 and 4 continued this trend by exploring the Holocaust, as well as more contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism. Over the final two weeks, the course concludes with a discussion of anti-Semitism in the Arab World, as well as what the future may hold for addressing anti-Semitism.

May 14, 2018 University of Arkansas Student Government Passes Anti-BDS Resolution

On April 10, the Associated Student Government Senate at the University of Arkansas passed ASG Senate Resolution No. 19, “A Resolution to Reaffirm Support for Jewish and Israeli Students at the University of Arkansas.” This resolution, which was drafted in “support of Jewish and Israeli students” on campus, accurately labels the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel) movement as anti-Semitic and “promotes the inclusion of Jewish and Israeli students and their beliefs and values on campus.”

May 5, 2018 Congressional Taskforce Releases Statement on European Anti-Semitism

The Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism released a statement in response to the newly-released data from the Kantor Center’s recent report on the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe. The Kantor Center’s report concluded that anti-Semitic incidents had risen in the U.S. by 57% between 2016 and 2017.

April 23, 2018 Kantor Center Reports Spike in U.S. Anti-Semitism

This past week, the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry released its 2017 “Antisemitism Worldwide” analysis, which noted a dramatic upswing in anti-Semitism within the United States. The Kantor Center is currently led by Dina Porat, a member of the Louis D. Brandeis Center’s Academic Advisory Board.

April 23, 2018 D.C. City Councilman Leaves Holocaust Museum Tour Early, Endorses Nation of Islam

Trayon White, the Washington D.C. City Council member who recently invoked multiple anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, is back in the news this week after leaving a tour of the U.S. Holocaust Museum early and for donating to noted anti-Semite Louis Farrkhan.

April 19, 2018 Santa Barbara Student Senate Condemns Anti-Semitism

On April 11, the Associate Students Senate at University of California—Santa Barbara (UCSB) unanimously passed a resolution condemning both anti-Semitism and hate speech. This news coming out of UCSB, which has also been the site of numerous failed BDS resolutions, is another positive step in the ongoing battle against campus anti-Semitism.