Blogs | Brandeis Center

The Brandeis Center blog features regular posts on issues of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, such as high-profile legal cases, new IHRA adoptions and anti-BDS laws. Posts also recap LDB events, conferences, webinars, speaking engagements, and white papers. They are often authored by our outstanding law clerks and interns.

November 1, 2017 Maryland Governor Larry Signs Anti-BDS Executive Order

On October 24th, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed an anti-BDS bill, Executive Order 01.01.2017.25, into law.

October 26, 2017 Bulgaria Adopts Definiton of Anti-Semitism

On Thursday, October 19th, the Bulgarian government announced that it had adopted the working definition of anti-Semitism used by the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance (IHRA). In 2016, the 31 member states of the IHRA adopted their definition after a unanimous vote at a plenary session in Bucharest City. The IHRA was the first international body to formally adopt such a […]

October 18, 2017 Austrian Student Union Denounces BDS

On October 13th, 2017 the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) announced that it had become the first national student union to officially pass a resolution denouncing BDS. The ÖH also passed a version of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

September 28, 2017 Toward Resilience in the Face of Hate

Reposted from VIRGINIA LAW WEEKLY, September 13, 2017, Toward Resilience in the Face of Hate By Baruch Nutovic (President of the LDB Law Student Chapter at the University of Virginia School of Law; UVA Law ’19) —- At first, my parents did not know what to make of the dreams. Then, it dawned on them: […]

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September 22, 2017

Our friends at OSCE are recruiting again for an important position that will be of interest to human rights professionals who are concerned about the rise in global anti-Semitism:

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September 22, 2017 Germany Adopts Anti-Semitism Definition

On Wednesday, September 20th, the German Cabinet announced that it had unanimously adopted the working definition of anti-Semitism used by the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance (IHRA). In 2016, the 31 member states of the IHRA adopted their definition after a unanimous vote at a plenary session in Bucharest City.

September 20, 2017 Turning Over a New Leaf at UW

The new Chair of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), the student government body at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW), formally apologized to the UW Jewish community for her actions last April.

September 12, 2017 Opportunities in Education

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has recently announced a unique opportunity to aid in widening the breadth of scholarship and educational material related to anti-Semitism.

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September 6, 2017 SJP Sanctioned at UC Irvine

Following years of disruptive behavior by the University of California at Irvine (UCI)’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), UCI announced last week that it has sanctioned SJP “with disciplinary probation for two academic years.

Anti-Zionism

August 21, 2017 How Anti-Semitism Infiltrates the Left

The United Kingdom’s Labour party and its trade unions, like the University College Union (UCU), consider themselves progressive and “antiracist” spaces.

August 21, 2017 Indiana University Reports on Social Media Anti-Semitism

With the advent of the Internet, antisemitic messages are disseminated more quickly and widely than ever before, and often go unchallenged,” opens a new report from the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (ISCA) based out of Indiana University.

August 16, 2017 Whitewashed: Anti-Semitism in the U.K. Labour Party

The film, Whitewashed: Anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, can be found online at J-TV, a YouTube channel dedicated to global Jewish interests and issues. A short documentary, it is a partner film to a book of the same title and these are part of The Whitewashed Project. The project was produced and self-financed by a […]

August 10, 2017 British Retailer Banned in Four US States for Support of BDS

In response to the Co-operative Group’s boycott of Israeli goods, four U.S. states have banned investments in the company as a result of their respective anti-BDS laws: Arizona, New York, Illinois, and Florida. The New York State Office of General Services and the State Board of Administration of Florida placed the Co-Op Group in a list of […]

August 4, 2017 Poland: The power of civil protest

Human rights and freedoms do not exist without judicial control that is independent, fair and free form political pressure. After suppressing the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland some months ago, the Government decided to eliminate the High Court of Poland and paralyze entire judicial system with the use of laws that brutally violate Polish Constitution.

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August 2, 2017 Correction: Ryerson Student Union Defines Anti-Semitism

Last week, the Ryerson Student Union (RSU) at Ryerson University, located in Toronto, Canada, officially printed a definition of anti-Semitism that the RSU had adopted in March 2017, as recommended by the “Ottawa Protocol.” The Ottawa Protocol reaffirms the EUMC’s working definition of anti-Semitism – the EUMC now being recognized as the Fundamental Rights Agency (“FRA”). The EUMC working definition is similar […]

August 2, 2017 Governor Roy Cooper Signs North Carolina Anti-BDS Law

On Thursday, June 27th, North Carolina’s Governor Roy Cooper signed an anti- Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (“BDS”) bill into law, making North Carolina the 22nd state to enact such a law or resolution. North Carolina joins states like Nevada and Kansas, which recently passed similar measures. While not all anti-BDS legislation is identical, it all has […]

July 28, 2017 Key U.S. Special Envoy Position Is Still Vacant

The State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism has remained vacant since July 1 and the office remains without staff. The position, established by the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004, is responsible for, “U.S. foreign policy on anti-Semitism” and, “develops and implements policies and projects to support efforts to combat anti-Semitism.” The […]

July 24, 2017 Leaders Take a Stand Against Anti-Zionism

Earlier this week, both President Emmanuel Macron of France and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York made bold statements declaring their support of Israel, definitively condemning anti-Zionism as a modern manifestation of anti-Semitism. President Macron in a ceremony on July 16 addressed growing religious tensions in French, as well as the French government’s complicity the […]

July 11, 2017 Victory in South Africa: Anti-Israel Activist Guilty of Hate Speech

On Thursday, June 29th, the Equality Court sitting in the South Gauteng High Court of South Africa found Bongani Masuku guilty of hate speech following his comments calling for Jewish lives to be made “hell,” among other incendiary remarks. Over twenty-five years since the end of apartheid, South Africa continues the fight to eradicate discrimination, and […]

July 11, 2017 Further Progress Against BDS: Ohio Takes A Stand

On June 6th, the Ohio House of Representatives initiated a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) in response to rising incidents of anti-Semitism in the state. The House expects a vote on the measure in late August or early September of this year. The House Concurrent Resolution 10 calls for increased economic, […]