Read SPME’s Article here. Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) Urges Court to Reject BDS Cover-up In an important court-filing, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) urged the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to reject an effort by Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activists to shut down a lawsuit against the American Studies Association (ASA) for its boycott of Israel. The lawsuit, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and others on behalf of four of the nation’s most distinguished professors of American Studies, details how a handful of zealots hijacked the academic association to push a virulently anti-Israel political agenda which damaged ASA and violated the law. SPME filed its amicus brief on August 14, 2020 in support of the professors’ lawsuit. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2016 after BDS activists manipulated the ASA into adopting a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in 2013. According to the Brandeis Center, the boycott was a concerted effort by a small number of BDS activists, including founding members of the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI) and some of the most notorious supporters of the anti-Semitic BDS movement, such as Defendants Steven Salaita and Jasbir Puar, who used their leadership positions in ASA to make anti-Israel activism the central focus of the Association. ASA’s stated mission has nothing to do with boycotting a foreign nation and thus the suit alleges its adoption violates the law that governs nonprofit corporations. The professors argued in their lawsuit that the BDS activists circumvented corporate governance protocols, damaging the ASA’s financial well-being and reputation, and subverting the organization’s apolitical, scholarly mission in order to advance their radical anti-Israel agenda. The Brandeis Center litigation has led to numerous important discoveries, including documents that reveal the BDS activists’ covert scheme to pack the ASA’s national council with directors whose primary goal was to establish an academic boycott of Israel. They also reveal the shenanigans by which BDS activists manipulated the ASA’s boycott vote, freezing the rolls of the ASA membership to minimize the number of opponents able to vote. Documents produced in litigation also showed how costly the BDS vote was to the ASA, detailing hundreds of thousands of dollars withdrawn from the ASA’s trust fund and showing, through the ASA’ tax return, an association that had been plunged deeply into the red. SPME’s intervention was necessary to counter recent attempts by Palestine Legal to have the lawsuit dismissed by the court. Palestine Legal charged that the Brandeis Center’s work on this lawsuit has deterred other academic associations from capitulating to similar demands by BDS activists. Specifically, Palestine Legal complained to the court: “Indeed, from 2013-2015, eight other academic associations endorsed academic boycott resolutions. Since the Brandeis Center first sued the ASA in April 2016, none, to our knowledge, have passed.” Palestine Legal was responding to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia’s denial, in 2019, of the defendants’ special motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ complaint under D.C.’s Anti-SLAPP law. The law aims to deter frivolous lawsuits that are brought in order to intimidate or silence those who exercise their constitutional rights of free expression and petition under the First Amendment. The court held that the professors stated a claim with respect to six of their claims, rebuffing defendants’ effort to avoid a trial. When defendants appealed, arguing that the court should apply the Anti-SLAPP Act on a claim-by-claim basis and award attorney’s fees on any claims that were dismissed, Palestine Legal filed an amicus brief in support of defendants, claiming plaintiffs’ lawsuit should be dismissed under the Anti-SLAPP Act because it is intended to chill pro-Palestinian speech. And that is when SPME decided it was time to step in. SPME’s brief points out that plaintiff’s lawsuit seeks to hold defendants accountable for unlawful conduct, including corporate waste, mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duty. The case is not about defendants’ speech. Indeed, the Superior Court found that plaintiffs’ claims have merit, noting, “Plaintiffs have successfully demonstrated that they have evidence suggesting that there may have been a breach of fiduciary duty and that the resolution was improperly passed, costing the ASA to lose membership and funds.” The defendants, in contrast, seek to shut down a case involving legitimate legal grievances. As SPME’s brief argues, denying plaintiffs their right to access the court in this fashion is unconstitutional. The ASA defendants hope to shield their illegal conduct from censure by claiming they are merely engaged in speech. SPME’s brief further argues that the abusive tactics advocated by the defendants and amicus Palestine Legal, if implemented, would dissuade civil rights advocates like the Brandeis Center from bringing legitimate lawsuits and making novel arguments to advance civil rights, for fear of incurring attorney’s fees if unsuccessful. As we state in our brief: Plaintiffs like the Brandeis Center that advocate for civil rights are in particular need of “breathing space” in the courtroom. The novel arguments of civil rights advocates are often deemed meritless, if not frivolous, in their own times. And it is only through tireless persistence that these arguments eventually win the day. Indeed, anyone concerned about holding BDS activists accountable when they violate the law in order to advance their anti-Israel agenda, has an interest in ensuring that plaintiffs like the professors in this case can have their day in court. SPME and the Brandeis Center will keep you apprised of legal developments. Read SPME’s Article here.
Watch the video of the “Man Who Kept the Menorah Lit” A Conversation with Attorney Nathan Lewin ~ By Dovid Margolin – Chabad.org When Nathan Lewin addresses the virtual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim) as its keynote this Sunday afternoon, there will be no need for an introduction. Over the past half-century, Lewin has made a name for himself as a talented litigator and become famous as one of the nation’s preeminent defenders of the Bill of Rights, particularly the religious liberties enshrined in the First Amendment. Having started his legal career clerking for Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan II in the late 1950s, then going on to work in Robert F. Kennedy’s Justice Department—Kennedy sent the young Shabbat-observing man to Nashville, Tenn., to help prosecute Jimmy Hoffa, and he later served as deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights—before spending decades in private practice, the 84-year-old Lewin continues to make headlines. Lewin and his daughter, Alyza Lewin, represented Menachem Zivotofsky for 18 years in his family’s quest to have Jerusalem, Israel, written in Zivotofsky’s U.S. passport. Zivotofsky was just granted such a passport at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem this October. Lewin likewise came up during the recent Supreme Court nomination process, describing now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s work on behalf of Jewish causes while she was a young associate at Lewin’s law firm in 1999-2000, including the pro bono defense of a public menorah display in Jersey City, N.J. Barrett filled the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with whom Lewin had a long and warm relationship. In fact, Ginsburg’s office called Lewin shortly after she joined the Supreme Court for his guidance in affixing a mezuzah to her chambers. Throughout his career, Lewin has been known to be a passionate advocate for causes he believes to be just. “In interviews,” The New York Times wrote about him in a 1988 profile while he was defending U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, “several lawyers, most unabashed admirers of Mr. Lewin, faulted him for sometimes being too ardent in his advocacy—a criticism Mr. Lewin accepts. ‘I get … carried away by what I think is right,’ ” he told the paper. Perhaps it was this, as well as his reputation for tenacity—a decade earlier, Lewin sued the Times into admitting it had erred and issuing a correction pertaining to Lewin’s time defending former President Richard Nixon—that in the summer of 1985 caught the attention of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, and a secretary of the Rebbe. Some months earlier, librarians at the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad had noticed that rare books from its priceless archive collection were going missing. Surveillance footage showed this to be the work of the estranged grandson of the Sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory, who after being confronted claimed the books to be his personal inheritance. When he refused to stop selling these valuable books on the open market, Krinsky turned to Lewin. “I got a call in the middle of the night from Rabbi Krinsky,” Lewin recalls to Chabad.org. “That’s how it began on my end.” Lewin immediately sought and obtained a restraining order enjoining the grandson from selling any more of the books in his possession, and then filed suit in federal court in Brooklyn to establish, as the Rebbe maintained, that the library was a communal possession belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch community. The Rebbe did not weigh in on every step of the defense’s work, insisting this was the role of the team of lawyers led by Lewin, but did provide insight that proved to be crucial. “In our initial meeting [of lawyers] with the Rebbe he pointed at the letter written [by the Sixth Rebbe] to [Alexander] Marx [the librarian of Jewish Theological Seminary in New York] as the key,” says Lewin. In it, the Sixth Rebbe had made clear that the library was not his own personal property but a valuable resource for the entire Jewish people, and belonged to the movement he led. “We highlighted that piece of evidence and Judge [Charles] Sifton subsequently quoted it in its entirety.” “The Rebbe was totally cognizant of every step we were taking, he read the transcripts, all the pretrial proceedings,” recalls Lewin. “I was astounded by how familiar he was with everything that had been said during the hearings.” The months Lewin spent shuttling back and forth between Washington, D.C., and New York preparing for the case, followed by the 23-day-long trial, ultimately paid off. On Hei Tevet 5747 (Jan. 6, 1987), Sifton ruled that the library in its entirety belonged to the Lubavitch movement. In an age before WhatsApp, the news rocketed around the globe with jubilation breaking out at Chabad headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn—a short distance from the federal courthouse in downtown Brooklyn—as well as synagogues and Jewish communities everywhere. “I want to say that the Nat Lewin I met a year-and-a-half ago is not the same Nat Lewin … that we’re about to hear from,” Krinsky told a packed, euphoric audience at a celebratory event held two nights after the court victory. “This is the Nat Lewin—Reb Nosson Lewin—who will be written about for generations … in the history of Lubavitch as one of the heroes of this [painful story].” “I think every other lawyer in the United States has envied me for the last two days,” Lewin told the crowd to great applause. “ … There’s no lawyer in the United States whose victory in court has been met by … days … and nights of dancing and singing and joy in the streets!” Ten months later, on Nov. 17, 1987, the 25th day of Cheshvan—exactly 33 years ago—the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously upheld Sifton’s district court ruling. “I thought we had a very, very strong ground for sustaining Judge Sifton’s decision, so I was pretty confident in terms of the appeal,” reflects Lewin. “But it was certainly a brachah [blessing] that it was affirmed.” Menorahs and Light Lewin has fought countless religious liberties cases in his decades of practice, particularly those pertaining to the Jewish community. Among the cases he has argued, including dozens before the Supreme Court, have been the rights of Jews to wear kippahs and beards in the military; the humaneness of shechitah; and the right to place a Chanukah menorah on public property. As his daughter and law partner at Lewin & Lewin, Alyza, has pointed out, “there is no legal issue that has faced the Jewish community in the United States in the past half-century that does not have Nathan Lewin’s fingerprints on it.” Of course, the landmark menorah case and the many follow-ups Lewin fought have a particular connection to the 5,000 Chabad emissaries he will be speaking to on Sunday. Not long after the Rebbe first launched his Chanukah awareness campaign in the early 1970s, Chabad emissaries—first in Philadelphia and San Francisco, then around the country—began erecting giant public menorahs to share the message and inspiration of the Chanukah lights with one and all. This included a 36-foot-high menorah erected outside of the White House, inaugurated by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Chabad of Western Pennsylvania followed suit in 1982, placing a menorah outside of Pittsburgh’s City Hall with the mayor’s permission and participation. Four years later, the American Civil Liberties Union sued Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, a case that wended its way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Lewin would be the one to defend the Jewish peoples’ right to place a menorah on public property. Ultimately, Lewin explained to an audience at One-to-One, a 12-hour symposium held at the New York Public Library in 2016 exploring the Rebbe’s social impact, it was the story of “how the Rebbe prevailed … and changed the course of First Amendment law in the United States.” In a 6-3 decision handed down on the last day of their session in July of 1989, the Supreme Court ruled for the constitutionality of the menorah. Justice Henry Blackmun’s majority opinion even contained the blessing for lighting the Chanukah menorah—twice. The case did not end there. When the new mayor of Pittsburgh denied the menorah request the next year, Lewin ultimately got an emergency ruling from Justice William Brennan, received an hour before Shabbat and the start of Chanukah that year, allowing the menorah to go up once again. In Pittsburgh’s case, the menorah had stood next to holiday symbols of other religions, and so in 1992, Chabad’s menorah in Grand Rapids, Mich., was challenged on the grounds that it stood alone, unaccompanied by any other symbols. Once again, Lewin successfully defended the menorah, as he did in cases that followed. While Lewin continues to assist anyone wishing to place a menorah on public property to this day, by now, thanks to his work, the legalities surrounding the topic are a matter of settled law. “The menorah litigation in the United States was a perfect example of how the Rebbe’s insistence on an attitude towards religion in America ultimately prevailed,” Lewin told the audience at One-to-One. Lewin has long been a familiar face at the Kinus. “I make an effort to come because this is always an amazing show of Jewish spirit and the worldwide impact that Chabad has,” he told this writer at the 2013 conference. “You sense it in the room when you come here together.” His addressing this year’s gathering—all virtual and so different than the palpable energy felt when the thousands of emissaries and their guests fill one giant room—is all the more poignant considering the hope and light that springs forth from the lights of the Chanukah menorah, and his part in protecting their flickering flames. “During these days of the pandemic, it’s all the more important to keep the light of the Chanukah menorah burning,” says Lewin. “Even though the number of people who will appear at Chanukah menorah-lightings will be smaller, the lighting itself is very, very significant because of what it conveys … . It’s a blessing for me to be able to be a part of this, maybe particularly at this time when otherwise the world seems to be so dark.”
Watch the November 23rd Presentation Here ~ Hear from courageous young women: Jewish students today are targeted not only with antisemitism but with anti-Jewish hatred attacking their relationship with Israel. In Antisemitism on Campus: Two Women’s Struggle to Protect Jewish Students Nationwide you’ll hear from two extraordinary women — one an accomplished attorney, the other a student activist — about bringing their fights against campus antisemitism to the highest levels of the US government. Monday, November 23, 8 pm ET. Antisemitism on Campus: Two Women’s Struggle to Protect Jewish Students Nationwide Monday, November 23, 8:00 pm ET Jewish students today are targeted not only with classical antisemitism but also with new forms of anti-Jewish hatred attacking their relationship with Israel. During this program you will hear how two women — Alyza Lewin, an accomplished attorney, and Adela Cojab Moadeb, a student activist — blazed a trail of empowerment for Jewish students everywhere and have set a powerful legal precedent with implications for campuses across the country. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Alyza Lewin is the President and General Counsel of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a non-profit 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 legal advocacy to combat the resurgence of antisemitism on college and university campuses. It empowers students by training them to understand their legal rights and educates administrators on best practices to combat and end antisemitism on campus. Adela Cojab Moadeb is an activist, public speaker, and author best known for her fight for Israel and against antisemitism on college campuses. Cojab attended New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she built a concentration in Sephardic Diaspora Structures. Cojab speaks about Jewish rights and equality under the law, and believes that all students are entitled to learn in a harassment-free environment.
The good news comes as a relief to many on campus, who claim to have experienced antisemitic and anti-Zionist harassment in alarming increasing rates over the past five years. Read the Jerusalem Post article here. By TOBIAS SIEGAL November 18, 2020 01:24 The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on Tuesday that it has opened a formal investigation into a complaint of unrelenting antisemitic harassment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), submitted on behalf of UIUC’s Jewish students. The good news comes as a relief to many on campus, who claim to have experienced antisemitic and anti-Zionist harassment in alarming increasing rates over the past five years. The federal investigation launched by the OCR will examine the complaint alleging numerous antisemitic and anti-Zionist instances at UIUC, including swastikas being found on campus several times, Jewish ritual items such as menorahs and mezuzahs being vandalized, windows of Jewish fraternity houses being smashed by bricks, and frequent harassment by members and supporters of Students for Justice in Palestine at UIUC. The complaint also claims that UIUC has allowed a hostile environment to proliferate on its campus in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It describes how on different occasions, UIUC employees have been complicit in fostering a hostile environment on campus. “Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to antisemitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long,” said Alyza D. Lewin, President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which helped prepare the complaint. “We are very appreciative of OCR’s careful review of the complaint and correct determination of the necessity of a thorough and comprehensive investigation. This significant and critical development reaffirms the seriousness of the harassment and discrimination Jewish students face on a regular basis, and the importance of ongoing action by the university,” she added. Mark Rotenberg, vice president for University Initiatives and Legal Affairs at Hillel International, which also helped draft the complaint, expressed appreciation for the important step taken by OCR, stressing that “all Jewish college students deserve the right to learn and live in a safe, welcoming environment, free of antisemitism and anti-Israel harassment.” Rotenberg’s comments were reflected in statements made by several other universities following OCR’s announced investigation. Williams College, the University of North Carolina, Duke University and NYU all agreed to implement steps to combat rising antisemitic harassment and discrimination threatening Jewish students on their campuses. On Monday, UIUC issued a statement expressing its commitment to allowing all students to express their Jewish and Zionist identity without facing discrimination during university sponsored activities, as well as during other campus activities. The university also promised to work with the Jewish community to find and create concrete solutions. While Jewish groups on campus noted that the “statement and the commitment it demonstrates is important,” they added that “it is only a first step” and they “look forward to ongoing collaborative work with the Chancellor and his team to convert the objectives… into action.” Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel from the UIUC’s Chabad Center for Jewish Life noted that “with OCR opening an investigation, we hope that both of these actions, working simultaneously, will create a campus where Jewish students and all students can feel safe and at home.”
Join us for a discussion on “The Legal Landscape for Jewish and Pro-Israel Students on College Campuses” ~ featuring ~ LDB President, Alyza D. Lewin ~ presented by CAMERA on Campus Thursday, November 19 | 1 pm EST REGISTRATION LINK
PRESS RELEASE ~ U.S. Department of Education Opens Federal Investigation Into Alleged Anti-Semitic Hostile Environment at University of Illinois ~ Contact: Nicole Rosen ~ nicole@rosencomm.com Read the Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 17, 2020): The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced it has opened a formal investigation into a complaint alleging Jewish students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have faced an unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment. OCR evaluates all complaints it receives, but it only pursues investigations in those it determines warrant a more thorough examination. The complaint OCR will investigate was submitted on behalf of UIUC’s Jewish students and alleges that UIUC has allowed a hostile environment to proliferate on its campus in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was prepared by Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP together with the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, in consultation with the Jewish United Fund and Hillel International. “All Jewish college students deserve the right to learn and live in a safe, welcoming environment, free of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel harassment,” said Mark Rotenberg, vice president for University Initiatives and Legal Affairs at Hillel International. “As we continue to work collaboratively with our colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to address the problem of anti-Semitism on campus, we appreciate this step taken by OCR to ensure that the rights of our students to a campus free of harassment and discrimination are protected.” “Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long. We are very appreciative of OCR’s careful review of the complaint and correct determination of the necessity of a thorough and comprehensive investigation. This significant and critical development reaffirms the seriousness of the harassment and discrimination Jewish students face on a regular basis, and the importance of ongoing action by the university,” said Alyza D. Lewin, President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. “We are pleased to have begun recent work with the University. At the same time, there is much work to be done, and that is why OCR’s involvement and expertise is vital. We look forward to working with UIUC to implement the important, initial steps it has agreed to, and to cooperating with the Department of Education’s investigation to ensure the best outcome for the University of Illinois community. Both tracks are critical to help achieve a discrimination-free academic setting for Jewish students.” In response to recent OCR investigations, numerous universities, including Williams College, the University of North Carolina, Duke University and NYU, have agreed to implement steps to combat rising anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination threatening Jewish students on their campuses. Yesterday, the University of Illinois, in coordination with a number of Jewish groups, announced preliminary steps to address the anti-Semitism described in the complaint. The university issued a statement with the Jewish groups condemning anti-Semitism, acknowledging the severity of the problems at UIUC, and recognizing the importance of Zionism to Jewish identity. The university also pledged to work with the Jewish community to implement concrete remedies. The Jewish groups noted that the “statement and the commitment it demonstrates is important, however it is only a first step” and they “look forward to ongoing collaborative work with the Chancellor and his team to convert the objectives…into action.” “While we commend the Chancellors office and the University for the steps they are taking, we know this is a first step, and there is lot of work still to be done. With OCR opening an investigation, we hope that both of these actions, working simultaneously, will create a campus where Jewish students and all students can feel safe and at home,” stated Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel, University of Illinois Chabad Center for Jewish Life. The OCR complaint outlines how Jewish and pro-Israel UIUC students have been subjected to an alarming increase in incidents of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionismover the past five years. It details how numerous swastikas have been found on UIUC’s campus, Jewish ritual items such as menorahs and mezuzahs have been vandalized, and windows of Jewish fraternity houses have been smashed by bricks. It also describes how members and supporters of Students for Justice in Palestine at UIUC publicly glorify members of U.S. government-designated terrorist organizations, harass UIUC Jewish and pro-Israel students with epithets like “Nazi” and “white supremacist,” and advocate the expulsion of Zionists from campus. In some instances, as described in the complaint, UIUC employees have been complicitin fostering a hostile environment. The complaint also makes clear that UIUC can comply with Title VI-and protect those who are the victims of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on its campus-without running afoul of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “Some will attempt to excuse the bullying of Jewish and pro-Israel students as free speech against an unpopular political opinion, however that is a false and misleading narrative. Jewish students’ expression of support for the Jewish homeland grows out of their ethnic identity as Jews,” added Lewin. “Jewish students at UIUC and elsewhere are being marginalized, ostracized, bullied and harassed if they won’t publicly disavow their ancestral and ethnic heritage. They are being told that they must abandon their love of Israel to hold office, to join committees, or just to be accepted as worthy. That is textbook discrimination, and it must stop.” The UIUC students on whose behalf the complaint was filed are legally represented by Baruch Weiss and Avishai D. Don of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP. About the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law: The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (“LDB” or “Brandeis Center”) is an independent, non-partisan institution for public interest legal advocacy, research and education. The Center’s mission is to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and to promote justice for all. The Brandeis Center is not affiliated with the Massachusetts university, the Kentucky law school, nor any of the other institutions that share the name and honor the memory of the late U.S. Supreme Court justice. About the Jewish United Fund: JUF amplifies our collective strength to make the world a better place-for everyone. Community powered, we consider the totality of local and global Jewish needs and how to address them, providing assistance that transforms daily life for over 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths; supporting Israel and the Jewish people worldwide; advancing Jewish learning; and cultivating Jewish identity and connection. About Hillel: Founded in 1923, Hillel has been enriching the lives of Jewish students for more than 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 and inspires them to direct their own path. During their formative college years, students are challenged to explore, experience and create vibrant Jewish lives.
PRESS RELEASE ~ University of Illinois Commits to Address Anti-Semitism at UIUC Jewish Students at UIUC have faced an unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment Contact: Nicole Rosen 202-309-5724 nicole@rosencomm.com WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 16, 2020): The University of Illinois, in coordination with the Jewish community, today announced commitments to address the alarming increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment and discrimination on its campus. Jewish United Fund Chicago, Illini Hillel, Hillel International, Illini Chabad, Arnold & Porter, and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law issued the following joint statement: “We thank UIUC Chancellor Robert Jones for joining with us in issuing this statement today recognizing as ‘unacceptable’ the anti-Semitic harassment Jewish students at UIUC have experienced for years and committing that ‘the university must do more.’ The Chancellor’s validation of these students’ painful experiences is significant. We particularly appreciate the Chancellor’s acknowledgement of certain key points, e.g. ‘For many Jewish students, Zionism is an integral part of their identity and their ethnic and ancestral heritage. These students have the right to openly express identification with Israel. The university will safeguard the abilities of these students, as well as all students, to participate in university-sponsored activities free from discrimination and harassment.’ ‘We deplore anti-Semitic incidents on campus, including those that demonize or delegitimize Jewish and pro-Israel students or compare them to Nazis. This subjects them to double standards that are not applied to others.’ ‘All Jewish students, including those who identify with Israel or Jewish campus organizations, should be able to participate in campus activities aimed at fighting racism and achieving social justice.’ ‘[T]he university is committed to complying with applicable federal, state and local antidiscrimination laws as a state and federally funded institution.’ “This statement and the commitment it demonstrates is important, however, it is only a first step. It pledges the university to adhere to its legal obligations to respond to anti-Semitism as it manifests itself today at the University of Illinois. In particular, the university properly recognizes that ‘anti-Semitic forms of anti-Zionism, and other forms of discrimination have no place at this university.’ The next steps will involve real work, including, among others, focused and regularly recurring educational programming regarding anti-Semitism, review and revision of practices and procedures, and the creation of an Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life that will consist of stakeholders who are ‘committed to the principles set forth in this statement.’ “As we noted in our joint statement, ‘our collective and collaborative efforts will not end with these actions.’ We look forward to ongoing collaborative work with the Chancellor and his team to convert the objectives outlined today into action that achieves our shared, common values, including the freedom and security of all University of Illinois students.” The University of Illinois statement can be found at: https://go.illinois.edu/Novemberjointstatement Read the Joint Statement Here
Our Inaugural National Law School Chapter Webinar was held on Thursday, November 19 | 7 pm EST ~ watch the webinar video here. “Paths to Public Interest Law” ~ career panel speakers ~ Denise Katz-Prober, Avishai Don and Michael Helfand ~ moderated by ~ Rachel Frommer President, Cardozo Law School Chapter & LDB JIGSAW Coordinator National Law School Chapter webinar flyer.
Brandeis Center’s President, Alyza D. Lewin, states that the “Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long. We are gratified that the University of Illinois has publicly acknowledged the urgency of the problem, has engaged in serious discussion with our community over the last couple of weeks in preparation of this statement, and has pledged to work with the Jewish community to implement remedies to address anti-Semitism on campus.” UIUC Acknowledges Zionism is Integral to Jewish Identity (Jewish Journal) ~ by Aaron Bandler ~ November 16, 2020 Read the Jewish Journal Article The university then outlined various measures to help combat anti-Semitism on campus, including creating an Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life, implementing educational programming on anti-Semitism, and re-evaluating their procedures for handling instances of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination on campus. “Though these steps will further our shared goals, they alone will not effectively dispel the environment that many Jewish students have felt to be unwelcoming,” the statement concluded. “Thus, our collective and collaborative efforts will not end with these actions. The university, the undersigned organizations and Jewish students will meet before the end of the semester to discuss additional steps. We will work together to demonstrate that the University of Illinois is a place where people of all faiths, races, gender identities, ethnicities, national origins and viewpoints can live, learn and thrive.” Carly Gammill, Director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism, praised the joint statement. “We are encouraged and gratified by UIUC’s statement today acknowledging and condemning the many antisemitic acts on its campus in recent months and promising to take decisive action to help ensure a more welcoming environment for Jewish students,” Gammill said in a statement to the Journal. “The university’s recognition of Zionism as an integral component of Jewish identity for many students is a crucial step in this process. We are grateful to the organizations that worked so hard to help bring about this significant result and look forward to continuing our own work supporting UIUC students in this new campus climate.” Alyza Lewin, President of Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, similarly said in a statement to the Journal, “Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long. We are gratified that the University of Illinois has publicly acknowledged the urgency of the problem, has engaged in serious discussion with our community over the last couple of weeks in preparation of this statement, and has pledged to work with the Jewish community to implement remedies to address anti-Semitism on campus.” She added that the university’s statement “is a significant first step, but there is a long way to go. We look forward to working with the University in the days, weeks and months ahead to convert these words into concrete measures designed to improve the campus climate for Jewish and pro-Israel students.” The UIUC statement comes after it was announced in October that Jewish students had filed a complaint to Department of Education against the university, alleging that the university’s efforts to address anti-Semitism on campus have been “wholly inadequate” and in some instances the university has been “complicit.”
The Brandeis Center’s legal complaint against the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign supports Jewish students who have faced an unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment. Meanwhile, in Washington, a historic State Department decision culminated a years-long campaign led by Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin. Also this month, LDB participated in the first-ever government-sponsored conference on combatting virtual anti-Semitism and provided insightful legal analysis about how to address online anti-Semitism. Read about this here, as well important new articles from LDB Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus and other exciting developments at the Center. As always, we thank you for your tax deductible donations and acknowledge that without you our work could not be done. Read the entire Brandeis Brief here.