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. Blog
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 […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
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 […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
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 […] Anti-Semitism Blog
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 […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
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 […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
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, […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
July 10, 2017 July 2017 – Beating BDS The last few weeks have seen state-wide anti-BDS victories in Kansas, Nevada, and North Carolina. Blog
July 5, 2017 UK Advocates Urge Anti-BDS Legislation After High Court Decision The British government cannot restrict local governments from engaging in boycotts against Israel, a UK High Court Judge ruled last week, prompting British pro-Israel advocates to call for primary anti-BDS legislation. The judgment, issued by Sir Ross Cranston, a judge of the High Court, Queens Bench Division, followed a case that challenged policy guidance issued […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog Litigation
June 30, 2017 House Task Force Praises European Parliament Action Washington, D.C., June 27th: Today, the U.S. Congress’ Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism issued an important letter in support of the European Parliament for its adoption, earlier this month, of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. While applauding the Parliament’s efforts, the Taskforce notes that “more work remains to be done,” and […] Anti-Semitism Blog
June 30, 2017 North Carolina General Assembly Passes Anti-BDS Bill In late June, legislators from North Carolina’s General Assembly passed House Bill 161, an anti-BDS bill which would seek to punish companies engaged with state business who actively participate in boycott campaigns against the State of Israel. The bill will now be sent to Governor Roy Cooper for his signature. Carin Savel, CEO of the […] Anti-Zionism Blog
June 21, 2017 LDB Urges Further Action from UW Madison Today, the Brandeis Center wrote to University of Wisconsin – Madison (“UW”) Chancellor Rebecca Blank, applauding her administration for castigating the Associated Students of Madison’s controversial April 26, 2017 Student Council (“ASM”) divestment measure, and urging further action from her administration. This past semester, the ASM introduced various versions of BDS resolutions, violating the ASM […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
June 21, 2017 LDB Urges Further Action from UW Madison Today, the Brandeis Center wrote to University of Wisconsin – Madison (“UW”) Chancellor Rebecca Blank, applauding her administration for castigating the Associated Students of Madison’s controversial April 26, 2017 Student Council (“ASM”) divestment measure, and urging further action from her administration. Blog
June 21, 2017 Jewish Students Sue San Francisco State University On June 19, 2017, The Lawfare Project and Winston & Strawn LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of six students and several members of the Bay Area Jewish community against San Francisco State University (“SFSU”). The complaint alleges that the university has fostered a climate of anti-Semitism on campus, violating the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights to free […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog Litigation
June 21, 2017 SCOTUS Decision Could Impact Freedom of Speech Debate on Campus On June 19, the Supreme Court decided in Matal v. Tam that the government cannot refuse to trademark potentially derogatory or offensive names, a decision that will likely impact the national debate about hate speech and the First Amendment for decades. This ruling means that though hate speech remains constitutionally protected as a general matter, […] Litigation
June 20, 2017 Kansas Governor Signs Anti-BDS Bill into Law On Friday, June 16, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed an anti-BDS bill barring state agencies from entering into contracts with individuals or companies that boycott Israel. The bill, HB 2409, first passed the Kansas Senate on Wednesday, June 7 in a 39 to 3 vote before passing the state’s House hours later by a vote of […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
June 19, 2017 Victory Over BDS at Pitzer Today, the Pitzer College Trustees announced that they had rescinded the recent BDS amendment passed by the Pitzer Student Senate. The initial amendment was made to the Student Senate’s Budget Committee Bylaws. The changes, introduced in April, included a new paragraph (Paragraph IV) within Article III (student Activities Funds) which prohibited the use of Student […] Anti-Zionism Blog
June 19, 2017 Congratulations to Aviva Vogelstein The Louis D. Brandeis Center would like to congratulate its Director of Legal Initiatives, Aviva Vogelstein, on receiving the Daniel Siegel Memorial Alumni Award from her former high school last Sunday. The award is given out every year by the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School Alumni Association to an alum who maintains a connection to […] Anti-Semitism Blog
June 16, 2017 Modern Language Association Overwhelmingly Passes Anti-BDS Motion On June 14, 2017, the Modern Language Association (MLA) announced that a resolution against BDS had been ratified by their members, passing by a wide margin of 1,954 votes in favor to 885 against. Resolution 2017-1 states: “Whereas endorsing the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel contradicts the MLA’s purpose to […] Anti-Zionism Blog
June 14, 2017 50 Groups Urge Immediate Response to SJP Disruption in Framework of Principles Against Intolerance The Louis D. Brandeis Center joined the AMCHA Initiative and nearly 50 other groups in urging an immediate response from UC Irvine over a recent hostile incident in the letter below. LDB had already written to Chancellor Gilman on this matter immediately after the incident had occurred. Having a mission to address anti-Semitism in higher […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
June 12, 2017 UN Ambassador Addresses Anti-Israel Bias The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted countless resolutions against Israel throughout its history, and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has been very vocal about this biased trend. On June 6, Ambassador Haley addressed the Council, calling on it to end its one-sided, anti-Israel behavior as part of her remarks at the […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog