. This month, we marked the one-year anniversary of October 7, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. In the past year, the Brandeis Center received more calls than ever from Jewish students experiencing harassment and discrimination on college campuses, which has not slowed down with the new school year underway. In our continued commitment to hold universities and institutions accountable, the Brandeis Center filed a new federal complaint about anti-Semitism at the University of Washington, continued our case against Harvard University, and announced an expansion of the K-12 helpline, which offers free legal support for parents of school-aged children, teachers, and other concerned community members. The Brandeis Center also continues to educate stakeholders, including hosting a briefing on Capitol Hill and delivering a keynote address on Jewish law. In this issue: New Federal Complaint Filed with University of Washington “One to Watch”: Brandeis Center’s Case Against Harvard University K-12 Helpline Expands to New York and Massachusetts Back to School: Protests, Harassment, and the Law The Ethics of War and Peace Law Clerk Recruitment is Open New Federal Complaint Filed Against University of Washington A new federal complaint filed by the Brandeis Center alleges that anti-Semitism was allowed to run rampant at the University of Washington because the administration repeatedly failed to adequately respond to anti-Semitic incidents despite having been put on notice. The complaint outlines numerous instances of anti-Semitic behavior, including graffiti on campus, verbal abuse, threats of physical violence and harassment that led one student to leave the university. Denise Katz-Prober, Director of Legal Initiatives, explained the complaint and our request for the Office for Civil Rights to investigate in an interview. In a statement, the Brandeis Center also summarized the complaint and outlined what the Department of Education must do to ensure University of Washington puts an end to this pervasive problem. “One to Watch”: Brandeis Center’s Case Against Harvard University Last weekend, in an editorial, the Wall Street Journal addressed the Brandeis Center’s ongoing case against Harvard University, which alleges the school has tolerated anti-Semitic conduct on campus despite a non-discrimination policy that is rigorously enforced for other legally protected groups. The WSJ calls the case “one to watch,” noting that “the details are troubling.” The WSJ editorial follows a hearing last week where U.S. District Judge Stearns heard arguments in response to Harvard’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Lawyers for the Brandeis Center and student members of JAFE (Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education) asserted that Harvard is enabling and protecting the students and faculty accused of anti-Semitism. The judge has not yet ruled on the motion. K-12 Helpline Expands to New York and Massachusetts The Brandeis Center, along with ADL, StandWithUs, and a coalition of leading law firms, announced the expansion of the K-12 Antisemitism legal helpline, which will now provide pro bono legal assistance to parents whose children are experiencing anti-Semitism in New York and Massachusetts. The helpline expands a pilot program launched in California, in order to address a growing problem in elementary and secondary schools across the country. Brandeis Center Vice Chair and General Counsel Rachel Lerman spoke with CBS News about the disturbing curriculum at schools “providing a very slanted and biased history of Middle East.” Coast to coast, “Jewish K-12 students have been verbally and physically bullied, threatened, and assaulted by peers who absorb anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric,” Ms. Lerman said in a statement. Are you a parent, teacher, or concerned adult in MA or NY? Use the Legal Protection K-12 Helpline to report incidents of anti-Semitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism, or violence that may necessitate legal action. Back to School: Protests, Harassment, and the Law The Brandeis Center hosted another installment of its Capitol Hill policy briefings, this time focusing the discussion on the rise of campus anti-Semitism, how universities should respond to harassment, and updates about ongoing legal battles. Hosted by the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, Brandeis Center Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus, President Alyza Lewin, and Senior Counsel Robin Pick, were joined on a panel by David Bernstein, Professor at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School and Mark Rotenberg, General Counsel of Hillel International. Catch up on the conversation on our blog. While anti-Semitic incidents continue to disrupt campuses in a new academic year, the Brandeis Center is working with students to hold universities accountable and enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus notes in The New York Times, universities “do not want to have to explain to their students, their families, their alumni and their supporters” why they are under federal investigation, which motivates them to address the problem as they are legally required to do under Title VI. In a recent discussion with Philanthropy Roundtable, Mr. Marcus also expanded on the Brandeis Center’s efforts to address anti-Semitism through various tools including legal action, education, and advocacy. The Ethics of War and Peace Last month, Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin delivered the keynote address at the 18th Annual Jewish Law Symposium in Whippany, NJ. Her remarks, which focused on the ethics of war and peace, highlighted how “the battle of ideas — that seeks to demonize Jewish identity and deny Jewish history — [ ] has been waging on college campuses and beyond for decades.” Read her full remarks, including what we must do in this critical moment, on JNS, or watch here: Alyza Lewin, President of the Brandeis Center, Delivers Keynote Address Law Clerk Recruitment is Now Open! Current law students are invited to apply to clerk as a paid, part-time employee of the Brandeis Center. Clerks gain first-hand experience by working with Brandeis Center staff to protect students from anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment with the opportunity to see the legal process from beginning to end. Applications are now open for Winter Intercession and Spring Term Law Clerks. To learn more and apply, visit here.