April 25, 2017 San Diego State Passes Anti-Semitism Resolution On April 19, 2017, the Associated Students at San Diego State University passed “A Resolution to Condemn Anti-Semitism.” The resolution takes a strong line against anti-Semitism, both in its addressing of a series of broad issues and its strict reliance on established definitions and law. The resolution cites both the U.S. State Department definition of […] Anti-Semitism Blog
April 25, 2017 Kantor Center Reports Spike in U.S. Campus Anti-Semitism Earlier this month, the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry released its Antisemitism Worldwide 2016 analysis, which this year demonstrates a startling 45% increase in anti-Semitic incidents on U.S. college campuses. The Kantor Center, based at Tel Aviv University, strives to “provide an academic framework for the interdisciplinary research of European Jewry […] Anti-Semitism Blog
April 24, 2017 North Hempstead Adopts Anti-Boycott Ordinance The Town of North Hempstead, New York recently passed anti-boycott legislation, unanimously. The town will no longer contract with entities which boycott Israel or the territories it administers. The legislation adds an amendment to Chapter 24 – “Governmental Operations” – of the Code of the Town of North Hempstead by establishing Article IX – “Contract […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
April 24, 2017 Citizens Advocacy Day On Wednesday, April 26th the South Carolina public will get an up close and personal look at the fight against anti-Semitism during Citizens Advocacy Day. Citizens Advocacy Day is an event intended to bring more public awareness to anti-Semitism legislation, as well as give an opportunity to meet the organizations and legislators working to fight […] Blog
April 24, 2017 Anti-Semitism on Campuses and the BDS Movement On Sunday morning, May 7, LDB’s Director of Legal Initiatives, Aviva Vogelstein, will speak at Congregation Har Tzeon – Agudath Achim on, “Anti-Semitism on Campuses and the BDS Movement.” Vogelstein will discuss the growing problem of anti-Semitism on campuses in the U.S. Since joining the Brandeis Center in 2014, Vogelstein’s work has focused on combating […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
April 17, 2017 Zionism and Anti-Semitism: An International Conference The Brandeis Center received this notice from colleagues at The Pears Institute and London. The Pears Institute will be holding an international conference on Zionism and Anti-Semitism from May24 – 26. Key note speakers: Derek Penslar, Harvard University and Bashir Bashir, Open University, Israel and The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute Date: 24 – 26 […] Blog
April 12, 2017 Anti-BDS Bill Introduced to U.S. Congress Earlier this month, U.S. Representatives Peter J. Roskam (R-IL), Co-Chair of the GOP Israel Caucus, Juan Vargas (D-CA), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), and Brad Sherman (D-CA) introduced the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, legislation to further combat the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement. A companion bill was submitted in the United States Senate by Senators Rob […] Anti-Zionism Blog
April 11, 2017 Texas Anti-BDS Bill Passes House and Senate Last week, the Texas House of Representatives unanimously voted in favor of H.B. 89, an anti-BDS and boycott bill that seeks to deny “state contracts and investments in companies that boycott Israel.” This comes on the heels of the passage of a similar bill in the Texas senate on March 23rd. This legislation will now […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
April 10, 2017 LDB’s Fourth Annual National Law Student Leadership Conference A Huge Success This March 19-20, the Louis D. Brandeis Center hosted its fourth annual National Law Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference brought together law student leaders from 13 of LDB’s law student chapters across the country, and educated these students on topics including civil rights law; international law and the Arab-Israeli Conflict; legal responses […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
April 3, 2017 Arkansas Passes Anti-BDS Law Last Wednesday, Arkansas State Governor William Hutchinson signed a law, Act 710, to prohibit Arkansas agencies from investing in or contracting with companies that boycott Israel. Act 710, previously SB 513, was passed by the Arkansas state legislature on March 22nd. SB 513 was introduced by Sen. Bart Hester to the state Senate, where it […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
April 3, 2017 East Carolina SGA Supports Anti-Semitism Resolution In March, the Student Government Association (SGA) of East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina, voted to “take a stand with the Jewish community at [ECU].” The SGA passed a bill which seeks, in the words of it sponsors, to “[define] what anti-Semitism is” and to bring awareness to “what’s going on around […] Anti-Semitism Blog
March 16, 2017 ACTA Reports that the BDS Movement Threatens Academic Freedom Last Thursday, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) issued a report on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. As our readers may recall, ACTA is a nonprofit organization committed to academic freedom and achievement at America’s colleges. Two ACTA staffers, William Gonch and Avi Snyder, appeared as guests on the Brandeis Blog in […] Anti-Semitism Blog
March 16, 2017 Racism, Antisemitism, Theory On Monday, April 24, our colleagues at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, in partnership with the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism, will be holding a conference at Birkbeck, University of London. The conference, entitled “Racism, Antisemitism, Theory,” will “[explore] the relationship between racism and antisemitism.” The Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities organizes events with […] Anti-Semitism Blog
March 15, 2017 University of Texas Students Speak Out Last week, the student government of The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) unanimously approved A.R. 26, a motion intended to condemn recent anti-Semitic incidents in and around their campus. The assembly resolution, officially titled “In Support of Jewish Students at The University of Texas at Austin,” cites the recent incidents of “a center […] Anti-Semitism Blog
March 15, 2017 Linda Sarsour’s Problematic Views on Zionism and Anti-Semitism As a co-chair of the Women’s March protesting Donald Trump’s inauguration, Linda Sarsour – who is usually identified as a Palestinian-American progressive political activist – has recently attracted much sympathetic media attention, but also some criticism. Among the issues that critics of Sarsour brought up early on was her open support for BDS, i.e. the […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
March 10, 2017 Maryland and Texas BDS Legislation Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called in his budget for laws which will stop state support for businesses that endorse or adhere to boycotts of Israel. Seventeen states have currently enacted anti-BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) legislation, with states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio having done so in just the last few months. […] Anti-Zionism Blog
March 10, 2017 Senate Calls for Federal Action Against Anti-Semitic Threats In a powerful moment of unanimity on Tuesday, the Senate called upon the Trump administration to support the Jewish community, in light of recent security threats to Jewish community centers (JCCs) across the nation. All 100 Senators signed a letter urging the administration to actively address the upsurge in bomb threats against Jewish institutions. The […] Anti-Semitism Blog
February 21, 2017 Antisemitism Studies Journal Announces Contents of Inaugural Issue The Canadian Institute for the Study of anti-Semitism has announced the issue contents of its new journal, AntisemitismStudies, published by Indiana University Press. Antisemitism Studies, as discussed in a prior entry, provides the leading forum for scholarship on the millennial phenomenon of anti-Semitism, both its past and present manifestations. Catherine Chatterly, founding director of CISA and […] Anti-Semitism Blog
February 20, 2017 LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus at StandWithUs Anti-BDS Conference StandWithUs, an international non-profit organization dedicated to informing the public about Israel and combatting anti-Semitism, will be holding their third annual Anti-BDS conference in Los Angeles from March 4-6. For the past three years, StandWithUs has invited international experts to discuss strategies to combat the global boycott movement against Israel. LDB President & General Counsel […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
February 13, 2017 Academic Boycotters Target the United States In an effort to condemn the actions taken by President Trump, some academics are now advocating a boycott against the U.S. similar as those attempted against Israel. Recent proposals to adopt sanctions and boycott measures against Israel have been mired in controversy and failure. The Modern Language Association (MLA) recently defeated a proposal for a […] Anti-Semitism
February 13, 2017 ISGAP Publishes New Volume Including LDB Campus Anti-Semitism Research The Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy (ISGAP) has announced the publication of “ISGAP Papers: Anti-Semitism in Comparative Perspective-Volume Two,” featuring an original article by LDB’s Kenneth L. Marcus. The publication of these papers is part of ISGAP’s ongoing work establishing anti-Semitism studies as a recognized academic discipline. ISGAP will continue to […] Anti-Semitism Blog