Blog - Brandeis Center

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 11, 2018 U.S. Education Department Seeks Peer Reviewers for Title VI Programs

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) recently announced they were seeking specialists to serve as peer reviewers for their 2018 Title VI–Office of International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) grant competitions.

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 25, 2018 Barnard Students Pass BDS, Administration Rejects It

The Student Government Association of Barnard College passed a referendum to divest from Israel. The referendum has now, officially, been rejected by Barnard’s administration.

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.

April 18, 2018 Death of Mel Gordon

On April 5, 2018, The New York Times printed the obituary of Professor Mel Gordon, a University of California Berkeley theater professor. However, the obituary does not mention Professor Gordon’s significance in helping to protect the rights of students on campus who have brought Title VI claims against the University.

April 17, 2018 Jewish Employee at Anne Frank House Banned from Wearing Kippa

The Anne Frank House has come under fire for preventing a Jewish employee from wearing his Kippa.

April 16, 2018 FutureLearn and Yad Vashem’s Online Anti-Semitism Course: Preview of Weeks 3 and 4

FutureLearn and Yad Vashem’s latest collaboration is well under way as their “Anti-Semitism: From Its Origins to the Present” entered its fourth week. Several weeks ago, the Brandeis Center provided a brief overview of the first two week’s material. This post will serve a similar function, detailing some of the material covered in weeks 3 and 4 of the course.