Daniella Hovsha Brandeis Blog July 29, 2016 2016 is unfolding as another unsettling year for Jewish students across U.S. college campuses. According to a report released this week by the AMCHA Initiative, anti-Semitic activities have surged over the past six months. The AMCHA Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to the investigation, documentation and contestation of anti-Semitism, investigated 113 schools with the largest Jewish populations across the United States. Defining anti-Semitic instances by three criteria: (1) anti-Semitic expression – which following State Department sanctioned guidelines includes anti-Zionist expression, (2) Targeting of Jewish students, and (3) BDS activity. The findings were definitive: There were a recorded 287 anti-Semitic incidents at 64 of these institutions – an alarming 57% of the total colleges surveyed. This number is up by 45% from the 198 occurrences documented by the AMCHA in 2015. The AMCHA research also found that suppression of the speech of Jewish students approximately doubled from 2015 to 2016, whilst calls denying Israel’s right to exist nearly tripled. Moreover, the study provided “ample empirical evidence showing that the presence of anti-Zionist student groups, faculty boycotters and anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) activity are each strong predictors of anti-Jewish hostility.”[1] According to these findings anti-Semitic instances was twice as likely to transpire on campuses where BDS was present, six times more likely to occur on campuses with one or more faculty boycotters, and eight times more likely to happen on campuses with at least one active anti-Zionist student group such as SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine). Certainly “the link between anti-Semitic activity and anti-Zionism has become abundantly clear and is openly acknowledged with ever greater frequency by the perpetrators of these activities.”[2] The new information from this study comports with 2015 LDB-Trinity Anti-Semitism report of 2015, which demonstrated “the startling fact that more than half of Jewish American college students personally experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism during the 2013-2014 academic year.”[3] Indeed, in a survey of 1,157 self-identifying Jewish students from 55 universities and 4 college campuses, 54% admitted to having been a victim of or a witness to anti-Semitic attack. Two years later, these numbers are on the rise. Yet, as Jennifer Rubin commented in a Washington Post article this week, there is “a piece of good news.” This past spring, the University of California Board of Regents released a acknowledging that anti-Zionism is akin to anti-Semitism and incites hatred against Jews. This was a positive step, especially for a university where these instances seem endemic, and serves as an example for other institutions. The Louis D. Brandeis Center and the AMCHA Initiative both played important roles in working with the Regents on that statement. LDB’s Kenneth L. Marcus had served as one of the Regents two national experts on anti-Semitism. The Brandeis Center has been constantly engaged in combating this resurgence of anti-Semitism, especially through its legal advocacy initiative. Most recently, for example, together with Hillel International, the Center has been pushing for a response to an incident at UC Irvine, at which protesters chanted anti-Israel, anti-American, and anti-Semitic statements, including calls for an “Intifada” [a call for violence against Jewish Israeli civilians], “All white people must die,” and “F*** the police.” The Brandeis Center is also addressing anti-Semitism in academic associations, as for example in its lawsuit against the American Studies Association. Original Article
Emma Dillon Brandeis Blog July 29, 2016 LDB welcomes Daniella Hovsha, who will be joining the organization as a Civil Rights Communications & Development Intern for Fall 2016. Daniella graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand, a public research university in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is currently completing her post-graduate studies—called an “honors” in South Africa—in International Relations and English Literature. She serves as the National Chairperson of the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS), the only official representative body for Jewish and Zionist students in South Africa. SAUJS is active on every South African university campus, and engages in political, social, educational, and religious work. Daniella is also an executive member of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). She looks forward to becoming further involved in the fight against campus anti-Semitism through this internship. The new addition to the LDB team brings a wide range of unique experiences and skills to the organization and will assist LDB as it continues its mission to combat campus anti- Semitism. LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus welcomed Daniella, saying, “We are very excited to have an international perspective that can provide new insight to the issue of campus anti-Semitism. Daniella brings great talent, strong educational credentials, and considerable enthusiasm to the tasks at hand. We feel confident that she will help contribute to our campaign against campus anti-Semitism and in our work to promote justice for all.” Daniella’s early arrival is much welcomed in light of LDB’s busy docket, including its landmark lawsuit against the American Studies Association (ASA) for the ASA’s unlawful boycott of Israeli academic institutions, legal advocacy work—including representing Eliana Kopley, a UC Irvine student aggressively confronted and threatened by anti-Israel protesters, and efforts to expand its law student chapter initiative network. Daniella will be joining fellow interns Emma Dillon and Juan Pablo Rivera Garza, who have been with LDB since early June, and Michelle Yabes, who has been with LDB since Fall 2015. Original Article
Emma Dillon Brandeis Blog July 27, 2016 On July 13, New York attorney David Abrams filed a complaint against the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), on behalf of an Israeli organization, Bibliotechnical Athenaeum. In the complaint, Abrams alleges that NLG practiced unlawful discrimination, violating the New York City and State Human Rights Laws. Essentially, this is an anti-BDS lawsuit challenging NLG for excluding Israeli companies from its program solely on the basis of their national origin. The activity described in the complaint is consistent with NLG’s involvement in a recent aggressive protest on the UC Irvine campus, and suggests that NLG, which promotes itself as a human rights organization that provides neutral and independent “legal observers” is perhaps not so neutral when it comes to discrimination against Israelis and pro-Israel Americans. According to the complaint, NLG refused to permit Bibliotechnical to participate in its Annual Banquet by refusing to sell Bibliotechnical advertising space in its associated dinner journal. NLG, which describes itself as a “network of public interest and human rights activists working within the legal system,” regularly holds events open to the public. In August 2016, it is scheduled to hold a “Law for the People” conference in Manhattan. In connection with this conference, NLG offered to the public the opportunity to purchase advertising in a dinner journal that is distributed at the Annual Banquet of the Law for the People Convention. In a post on its website, NLG wrote that placing an ad in the journal is a “great way to congratulate our outstanding honorees, publicize your firm or organization, or just share a message of your own!” The complaint alleges that on June 26, Bibliotechnical sent in a very basic ad congratulating the honorees of the conference—typical of those that are accepted and included in the dinner journal by the Guild. Along with its brief “Congratulations to the Honorees” message, the ad contained only the organization’s name and its Gush Etzion, Israel address. The complaint further alleges that on June 27, Bibliotechnical sent in the $200 publication fee for publication of the ad, and later that same day, NLG rejected the ad, advising Bibliotechnical that it would not accept monies from an Israeli organization. NLG refunded the $200 fee the next day. According to the complaint, this refusal was based solely on Bibliotechnical’s Israeli citizenship and origin, thus constituting a violation of the New York City and State Human Rights Laws. The complaint emphasizes that it does not challenge NLG’s right to criticize Israel; to hold anti-Israel or anti-Semitic views; or to advocate for policies based on such views. Rather, it challenges NLG’s unlawful public accommodation discrimination on the grounds of citizenship and national origin, regardless of the political position underlying such discrimination. NLG also took an anti-Israel stance regarding an aggressive protest on the University of California – Irvine (“UCI”) campus on May 18. A student group, Students Supporting Israel, was hosting a screening of the film, “Beneath the Helmet,” about life in the Israeli Defense Forces. About 10 students attended the film screening. Soon after it began, over 50 protestors associated with Students for Justice in Palestine (“SJP”) came and began to loudly chant anti-Semitic and anti-Israel messages. The protesters disrupted the film screening, and officers from the UCI Police Department came to protect and escort Jewish students away from the scene. During the protest, one of the Jewish students, Eliana Kopley, whom LDB represents with respect to this matter, was physically intimidated— she briefly stepped outside to make a phone call before the protestors arrived. When she tried to return to the room, the protesters physically blocked the entrance, and as she walked away from the scene, she was followed by a group of female students and felt so threatened that she hid in a classroom and called the police. Two members of the NLG chapter at UCI law school – both first year law students – attended as “legal observers.” The primary role of legal observers is supposed to be to watch and record the activities of law enforcement when interacting with demonstrators and to ensure that the demonstrator’s rights to express political opinions and occupy public spaces are not being infringed upon, as well as to provide objective documentation to lawyers representing arrestees to be used in civil and criminal procedures. According to a letter sent on June 7 to UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman by members of the Los Angeles, Orange County, and UCI Law student chapters of NLG, the NLG legal observers claimed they witnessed no anti-Semitic language used by protesters, no chants of “death to all white people” or anything similarly malicious, and no students approaching event participants as they left. The legal observers maintained that all protesters remained peaceful, describing the event as a “vigorous but normal campus event.” NLG’s legal observers’ account starkly contrasts those of the UCI students attending the film screening and of eyewitnesses, calling into question how truly “objective” they were in their role during the protest. Earlier this week, Abrams also filed a lawsuit against the New York Metro chapter of the American Studies Association (“ASA”), alleging “unlawful discrimination under the New York City and State Human Rights Laws,” in relation to the ASA’s boycott of Israeli academic institutions. This follows the Brandeis Center’s landmark lawsuit filed in April against the ASA for its unlawful boycott of Israel, which has already been credited in part with defeat of a resolution calling for the American Anthropological Association (AAA) to boycott Israeli academic institutions and is expected to have a profound impact in future BDS decisions. The recent NLG and ASA lawsuits perfectly demonstrate how anti-Israel activities can have legal ramifications.
Lea Speyer Algemeiner July 26, 2016 Denials by WikiLeaks that it knowingly posted an antisemitic message on social media should not be believed, an expert told The Algemeiner on Monday. Kenneth L. Marcus — president and general counsel of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and author of The Definition of Anti-Semitism — was referring to a WikiLeaks tweet on Saturday that read, “Tribalist symbol for establishment climbers? Most of our critics have 3 (((brackets around their names))) & have black-rim glasses. Bizarre.” Following backlash, WikiLeaks deleted the tweet and, in subsequent messages, attempted to offer explanations on what the postt meant. The group blamed “neo-liberal castle creepers” for turning (((echo))) into “a tribalist designator for establishment climbers,” adding that “pro-Clinton hacks and neo-Nazis” have intentionally misconstrued the original tweets meaning. “The triple brackets have established themselves very quickly — you might say at internet speed — as both an antisemitic way of identifying Jews and and a Jewish way of expressing solidarity against antisemites,” Marcus said. As reported by The Algemeiner in June, Google Chrome pulled an innocuous-sounding neo-Nazi plug-in after it was revealed that it was being used to track Jews online. Using a special web construction called an “(((echo)))” — three parentheses around the names of targets — white supremacists were able to encase the names of Jews that appeared on a webpage and attack them online. Each new Jewish or anti-white personality identified by the extension was then added to a database of names which was updated regularly. The extension was uploaded by “altrightmedia,” a nod to the emerging far-Right movement made up of young, tech-savvy white supremacists. Since the use of the (((echo))) became public knowledge, both Jews and non-Jews alike have encased their names in an (((echo))) as an act of defiance. According to Marcus, while (((echo))) is “fairly new, it is now so widely understood that Wikileaks undoubtedly knew what they were doing. It is a relatively transparent way of saying that their critics are Jews and dismissing them as such. This is reinforced by the derogatory reference to ‘tribalism,’ which is another euphemism for Jews.” Instead of apologizing for the offensive comment, Marcus told The Algemeiner, “The problem for WikiLeaks is not that they’ve been misconstrued but that they have been correctly understood. Indeed, their meaning is so clear that it is hard to imagine that they were misunderstood by anyone.” Over the last several months, Twitter has faced major backlash over what many say is the social media giant’s lax response to online antisemitism. The problem has intensified and become more “more widely understood,” Marcus said, amid the ongoing American presidential election, which has “stirred up considerable antisemitic Twitter traffic.” “New media have always provided a fertile breeding ground for racist hate groups, including antisemites, for the same reasons that they have facilitated the growth of so many other small, unpopular and niche groups,” Marcus said. Citing new media’s “low cost, easy access and wide reach,” Marcus said such qualities have become a “boon to both legitimate and illegitimate movements, while their anonymity has helped to shield hate groups from monitoring efforts.” “For the record,” Marcus said, “my own Twitter handle includes the triple brackets, but my horn-rimmed glasses are actually a dark brown.” Original Article
Aviva Vogelstein Brandeis Blog July 22, 2016 It’s been a rough year for the American Studies Association (“ASA”), legally speaking. Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed in New York State Court against the New York Metro chapter of the ASA, alleging “unlawful discrimination under the New York City and State Human Rights Laws,” in relation to the ASA’s boycott of Israeli academic institutions. In 2013, the ASA issued a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. The complaint was filed by New York attorney David Abrams, on behalf of plaintiff, Athenaeum Blue & White (“Athaneum”), a not-for-profit Israeli education organization with a principle place of business in New York. The complaint alleges that the plaintiff is barred from joining the ASA as an institutional member based on its Israeli national origin. Athaneum, according to the complaint, “is an organization which would [be] eligible for membership in the [ASA] but for their anti-Israel boycott.” The ASA is hence violating the New York City and State Human Rights Laws, as it is discriminating against the Plaintiff on the grounds of national origin. This is the second lawsuit filed against the ASA in a matter of months. In April, the Brandeis Center, along with prominent litigators at Marcus & Auerbach and Barnes & Thornburg, filed suit against the ASA for its unlawful boycott of Israel, on behalf of four distinguished American Studies professors. The Brandeis Center’s clients, well-known academics in the field of American Studies, filed suit “to restore the ASA to its stated mission.” The professors wrote about how, over the past few years, the ASA “has been diverted from its scholarly mission —promoting the study of American culture—to a political one, by leaders seeking to turn the ASA into an organization that advocates for social change far beyond American borders, and with an unwavering focus on delegitimizing Israel.” As LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus explained in Newsweek, “At the time the boycott was initiated, ASA’s constitution clearly stated that ‘[t]he object of the association [is] the promotion of the study of American culture through the encouragement of research, teaching, publication…about American culture in all its diversity and complexity.’ According to the American Studies professors, for 60 years, ASA has been an association focused on American Studies. It is not a social justice organization, nor is it a foreign policy organization. Indeed, according to the professors, boycotting a foreign nation has absolutely nothing to do with ASA’s mission and is therefore illegal.” Although the Brandeis Center’s lawsuit is still in the early phases, it has already been credited in part with the dramatic defeat of a resolution calling for the American Anthropological Association (AAA) to boycott Israeli academic institutions, suggesting that the case will have a profound impact in future BDS decisions. As demonstrated by these two recent lawsuits against the ASA, significant potential legal options aside from legislation that can be utilized to combat BDS, and unlawfully boycotting Israel can lead to repercussions.
Download PDF Washington, D.C.: The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) is disturbed by a recent report from the UCLA Discrimination Prevention Office (DPO) alleging that Milan Chatterjee, former President of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), violated university policy by stipulating that the GSA would maintain neutrality regarding the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in allocating funds for a campus event. LDB is a national civil rights legal advocacy organization, known for its work in fighting anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in higher education. BDS proponents harassed GSA President Chatterjee for months after the event last November because he would not fund either side of the debate over BDS, and led an impeachment campaign against him. In April, LDB’s UCLA law student chapter wrote a letter to the GSA forum in his support, explaining that the threat of “ousting a student government official from office for his good faith pursuit of his responsibilities discourages student participation and sends a chilling message to the student body.” “The UCLA report sending a chilling message to not only to Jewish pro-Israel students but also to non-Jewish student government officials who recognize the divisiveness and hatefulness of the BDS movement,” said LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus. “It is troubling that the campaign by BDS supporters against Milan Chatterjee affected the administration’s judgment, both in the report’s findings and in allowing it to be leaked to the media in apparent violation of the Federal Education Records Privacy Act (FERPA).” UCLA has had problems with anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in the recent past. Last year, the UCLA student council denied undergraduate student Rachel Beyda an appointment to its Judicial Board because she is Jewish. Some council members cited their concerns that her Jewish faith might bias her decision-making. Eventually, the council reversed itself under pressure. LDB and its UCLA law student chapter initiated the fight-back against that discriminatory action by issuing a letter stating, “Even though the student was eventually voted in as a Justice, the discussion surrounding her appointment was blatantly discriminatory.” Other universities in the University of California system have had similar problems. For example, at UC Irvine on May 18, more than 50 individuals associated with Students for Justice in Palestine aggressively confronted and threatened a group of 10 UCI students, including LDB client Eliana Kopley, who were attempting to watch and discuss a documentary film about five Israel Defense Forces soldiers. Mr. Marcus noted, “Both of these cases suggest a pattern in which Jewish and non-Jewish students are under assault. The University’s apparent failure to protect Jewish students at UCI, and the appearance that it is going after Chatterjee at UCLA, send a signal that should be disturbing to the Jewish and pro-Israel communities.” Earlier this year, at LDB and other groups’ urging, the University of California Regents unanimously adopted the Statement of Principles Against Intolerance, which included a contextual statement that “Anti-Semitism, anti-Semitic forms of anti-Zionism and other forms of discrimination have no place at the University of California.” Mr. Marcus commented on the applicability of the Principles Against Intolerance to the incidents at UCLA and UCI, “We urge the University of California to immediately apply the recent Regents’ statement to address incidents across the UC system that involve official support for anti-Zionism and tolerance for anti-Semitic harassment.”
Download PDF Washington, D.C. Today, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (“LDB”) praises St. Louis University (“SLU”), for rejecting retaliatory charges brought against two Jewish students by an anti-Israel activist. LDB advised the students who faced these charges after filing an appropriate and legitimate bias complaint against another student. LDB is a national civil rights legal advocacy organization, best known for its work fighting anti-Semitism in higher education. “Jewish students, and all students, on campus, must feel free to bring meritorious claims of bias on campus, without the fear of retaliation,” said LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus. “For this reason, retaliation against students for raising claims of discrimination is actually a violation of federal law. We commend the SLU administration for setting a good example for other university administrations nationwide.” The following facts have been reported to the Louis D. Brandeis Center: earlier this year, two leaders of the SLU Jewish Student Association (“JSA”), filed a complaint with SLU’s Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards against an anti-Israel SLU student for his disruptive behavior during their April 4th event, “Israel: First Responders to World Crises.” In addition to laughing loudly and rudely during the presentation, asking off-topic questions during the Q&A, and disrupting the students when they attempted to answer, the anti-Israel student said, “Thank you, your Zionist fascism is on full display today” as he exited the room, and muttered, “they should all die” – a statement which, according to a witness, was directed at the two JSA event organizers. Following an investigation, this anti-Israel heckler was found responsible for disruptive conduct, and the incident was found to be a “bias incident” in line with SLU Policy. The date of SLU’s disciplinary determination was May 11, 2016. One day following this determination, on May 12, and quite obviously in retribution, the two Jewish students received notice that the heckler had filed a bias charge against them, claiming racial discrimination, and that he was the victim of bias, on the grounds that he was the only black student at the event. This meritless complaint was backed by a letter to the school by Palestine Legal. Only after the school found that his conduct violated the school’s code of conduct did he change his story. Aside from counseling the Jewish students, LDB and the Lawfare Project sent a letter to the SLU President and several other university officials, urging them to dismiss the meritless complaint brought by the heckler. The students attended a hearing on the charges against them in early June. Last week, the Office of Student Responsibility & Community Standards found that there was no basis to support a claim of bias in this case. The charges against the Jewish students have been dismissed. The Brandeis Center recommends Best Practices for university administrators, to help prevent and address anti-Semitism on their campuses, and is pleased that SLU has done the right thing, and set a positive example for other university officials
Matt Coker OC Weekly July 14, 2016 As Hillel International and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law continue to push for a strong response from UC Irvine administrators to a May 18 incident, when more than 50 protesters allegedly threatened 10 Jewish and pro-Israel students, campus officials say they are still investigating. The 10 students were trying to watch Wayne Kopping’s documentary Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Home Front, which follows Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, when they were “aggressively confronted and threatened” by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) faithful, according to Michelle Yabes of the Washington, D.C.-based Brandeis Center, which is representing sophomore Eliana Kopley, who was reportedly “physically intimidated.” Kopley has said she had just left a Holocaust-related event on campus and was walking to the location of the screening hosted by Students Supporting Israel when was met by an angry crowd pounding on the doors and windows and chanting against the Jewish state. Kopley claims she was physically forbidden from entering as one protestor shouted, “If we’re not allowed in, you’re not allowed in!” and others yelled “Fuck Israel!” and “Intifada, Intifada—Long live the Intifada!” “I was terrified,” Kopley told the pro-Israel news site Haym Salomon Center. “There is no other word to describe how I felt.” That feeling was apparently shared by a group of female students who followed her as she escaped to safety in a nearby room. “When I turned back, at that moment, I looked at one of the girls and wanted to hide and cry,” says Kopley, who by then was on her cell phone with her anxious mother. “My mom keeps asking what’s going on. But I couldn’t even say complete sentences. All I managed to say was ‘protesters’ and she started yelling at me to call the cops.” Which is what Kopley did. The thing is, according to SJP, is campus police were accompanied by actual IDF soldiers who together “threatened” a Rainbow Coalition of “peaceful” protesters. More on that in a bit. That prompted members of the Los Angeles, Orange County, and UCI Law student chapters of National Lawyers Guild to send Gillman a letter stating they had served as volunteer “legal observers” to ensure the demonstrators’ constitutional rights to free expression and the occupation of public spaces were not infringed upon. “Several outside groups have alleged in the aftermath that protesters threatened students, blocked exists and otherwise engaged in threatening and dangerous behavior,” reads the guild’s letter to Gillman. “These accusations were and remain unsubstantiated and in fact are demonstrably false. We believe that false depictions of that night contributed to the letter you sent out to the UCI community, which declared that the students ‘reportedly disrupted the event, blocking exit paths,’ and that the event participants ‘feared for their safety, calling on our police force for assistance.’” The legal observers claim demonstrators: were forbidden from entering the event, an apparent violation of UCI policy; worked cooperatively with law enforcement; and, when told by campus police that the attendees of the film had left, walked away peacefully as a group to the Cross-Cultural Center. During the entire incident, the legal observers say they heard no malicious or anti-Semitic language nor “death to all white people” uttered by protesters, as was later reported. “Indeed, the most ‘uncivil’ language was used not by members of the protest,” states the letter, “but by counter-protesters who screamed, ‘thank God’ and ‘they deserved it,’ while a protester read aloud the number of Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli forces.” Gillman can obviously use a larger mail slot. The Brandeis Center and Hillel International sent a letter this week to the chancellor “urging a strong response to the physical intimidation of a Jewish student and the campus climate of intimidation aimed at Jewish and Pro-Israel students,” noting that the organizations first sought “swift action” more than six weeks ago. They call for UCI “to identify all students that terrorized Kopley and threatened, harassed and intimidated the Jewish and pro-Israel students.” “The campus investigation of this incident and its impact is still under review,” Cathy Lawhon, the UCI spokeswoman, tells the Weekly. “We take the responsibility seriously, and we are allowing time for all parties to receive due process. Once the investigation is completed, more information will be forthcoming.” There are no tweets on Kopley’s Twitter page nor vlogs one her “Campus Lyfe” YouTube channel dated after the Beneath the Helmet incident, despite the send-off in her vlog bio. I am just your average college student, attending University of California Irvine, as a biology major. When I was a baby I was adopted from China and I am also Jewish. I made the decision to vlog my life, to share with other students my life, and help remind us we are all going through the same daily struggles. It is okay to take a step back from your life, and enjoy what comes your way. Enjoy what you have, and make your life worth it! Welcome to my life, through my lens. Please Subscribe and Share with your friends if you enjoyed! See you all soon! Shortly after the incident happened, SJP posted a statement on its Facebook page claiming it is being singled out and that several other campus organizations joined their lawful protest. “The presence of the IDF, better known as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), and police threatened our coalition of Arab, Jewish, Black, Latinx, API, undocumented, trans, and queer students and the greater activist community,” reads the post. “Our demonstration was held to protest the presence of military and police forces on campus, which threaten the lives of Black and Brown people every day.” Ironically, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activists do find common ground on one issue: the UCI administration’s response (or alleged lack thereof) to incidents like this. The Brandeis Center and Hillel International claim UCI policy, the University of California’s newly revised Statement of Principles Against Intolerance, the University of California Code of Conduct and the California Penal Code are not being enforced to ensure a “campus climate free from intimidation and harassment of all students, including Jewish students.” Reads the SJP post: “In talking about providing a ‘safe environment’ for all students on campus, administration’s double standards must be acknowledged. There have been countless incidents, reported and unreported, to which administration has never been responsive to. Two years ago, two members of SJP were cornered and harassed by a visiting IDF soldier. Last year, a suspicious older man with a briefcase demanded to interrogate the MSU [Muslim Student Union] as to their beliefs on [the] Charlie Hebdo attack, just to name a few occurrences. These incidents reflect the violence that institutional and systemic policies exercise against minority populations.” The pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups also express commitments to the freedom of expression for all students, including the right to reasonably protest. Gee, two areas of agreement. Perhaps that’s something to build upon. Knowing the history of Muslim-Jewish relations at UCI, don’t hold your breath. (Unless you are being water boarded.) Original Article
Download PDF Letter to Chancellor Voices Concern and Requests Action WASHINGTON- Hillel International, Hillel of Orange County and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) wrote this week to University of California – Irvine (UCI) Chancellor Howard Gillman urging a strong response to the physical intimidation of a Jewish student, Eliana Kopley and the campus climate of intimidation aimed at Jewish and Pro-Israel students. The letter urges swift action more than six weeks after the organizations initially expressed concern and requested a response to an anti-Semitic incident that took place. On May 18, more than 50 individuals associated with Students for Justice in Palestine aggressively confronted and threatened a group of 10 UCI students, including Kopley, who were attempting to watch and discuss a documentary film about five Israel Defense Forces soldiers. LDB represents Kopley with respect to this matter. Hillel and LDB jointly call for Irvine to identify all students that terrorized Kopley and threatened, harassed and intimidated the Jewish and pro-Israel students. Both organizations also called for the enforcement of UCI policy, the University of California’s newly-revised Statement of Principles Against Intolerance, the University of California Code of Conduct and the California Penal Code in ensuring a “campus climate free from intimidation and harassment of all students, including Jewish students.” “UCI must address this very troubling display of harassment and intimidation aimed at Eliana and the UCI Jewish and pro-Israel students who gathered to watch and discuss the movie about Israel,” said LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus. President and CEO of Hillel International Eric D. Fingerhut said, “Hillel is committed to vibrant Jewish life at UCI and stands ready to work with the university administration to resolve this troubling incident and protect student life on campus.” “We are concerned that what happened to Eliana was motivated by anti-Semitic bias,” reads the letter. “We are committed to freedom of expression for all students, including the right to reasonably protest. However, the conduct of these protesting students was outrageous and crosses far beyond the bounds of any First Amendment protection or reasonable manner of protest. Stronger action must be taken.” About Hillel International: Founded in 1923, Hillel has been enriching the lives of Jewish students for 90 years. Today, Hillel International is a global organization that welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. Hillel is dedicated to enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. As the largest Jewish student organization in the world, Hillel builds connections with emerging adults at more than 550 colleges and universities in 13 countries on five continents, and inspires them to direct their own path. During their formative college years, students are challenged to explore, experience, and create vibrant Jewish lives. About the Brandeis Center: The Louis D. Brandeis Center, Inc., or LDB, is an independent, nonprofit organization established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. The Brandeis Center conducts research, education, and advocacy to combat the resurgence of anti-Semitism on college and university campuses. It is not affiliated with the Massachusetts university, the Kentucky law school, or any of the other institutions that share the name and honor the memory of the late U.S. Supreme Court justice. Media Contact Matthew E. Berger Senior Adviser for Strategic Communications, Hillel International mberger@hillel.org 202.449.6548
On Sunday morning, July 10, LDB Attorney Aviva Vogelstein will speak at Tifereth-Israel Congregation on the topic of, “Campus Anti-Semitism and the BDS Movement.” Vogelstein will discuss how anti-Semitism is a growing problem in the United States today, specifically on college and university campuses. According to a joint Louis D. Brandeis Center & Trinity College Anti-Semitism Report, 54% of Jewish students on 55 campuses nationwide reported experiencing or witnessing anti-Semitism during one-half of the 2013- 2014 academic year alone. A Brandeis University study of over 1,000 Jewish college students revealed that nearly three-quarters had been exposed during the past year to anti-Semitic statements. The spreading Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel often contributes to hostile environments for Jewish students on college campuses. What is the Jewish community doing about it? Vogelstein, who works with students nationwide in responding to and combatting these issues on a daily basis, will speak about anti-Semitism and BDS on college campuses today, when anti-Israelism crosses the line into anti-Semitism, and legal responses to dealing with these problems. The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. Registration is required.