February 7, 2019 Israeli Report Finds Members of Terror Groups Hold Key Positions in Pro-BDS NGOs A new report issued by the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs asserts that many of the Pro-BDS NGOs have dozens of terrorists in key positions. Blog
January 28, 2019 JIGSAW Trip Educates Law Students to Assist Undergrads Facing Anti-Semitism Rachel Frommer, one of the Brandeis Center’s newest JIGSAW legal fellows, jointed the inagural class of the JIGSAW program and reports on her experience. Anti-Semitism Blog
January 25, 2019 Before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Surveys Show Fading Memory of Holocaust and Growing Anti-Semitism Knowing the horrors of the Holocaust, and ensuring that it is not a forgotten footnote in history, are general themes to consider with International Holocaust Remembrance Day soon approaching on Sunday, January 27th. While this may read as intuitive, polling data within the last year shows that a disturbingly high number of Americans and Europeans […] Anti-Semitism Blog
January 24, 2019 Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Declares BDS Anti-Semitic In a recent town hall meeting at Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic and contrary to “Canadian values.” He specifically accused the BDS movement of intimidating Jewish students on university campuses, claiming that the movement is often linked to discrimination […] Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
January 18, 2019 Swiss Government Examines Reports that Palestinian Textbooks Promote Violence and Anti-Semitism The Swiss government has announced that they will examine recent reports by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) that materials found in the Palestinian school curriculum promote violence, anti-Semitism, and undermine a two-state solution. Anti-Semitism Blog
January 10, 2019 New Brazilian Law Allows Sabbath and Holiday Exemptions A new Brazilian law, signed by Brazil’s new president Jair Bolsonaro, will allow Jewish students to skip exams on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. Blog
January 9, 2019 All 10 UC Chancellors Condemn Academic Boycott of Israel Last month, faculty members at Pitzer College in California voted to suspend their study abroad program at the University of Haifa. Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
December 12, 2018 EU Survey Finds 90% of European Jews Feel Heightened Anti-Semitism A new survey conducted by the European Union’s Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) found that nearly 90% of European Jews feel that anti-Semitism has increased in their home countries over the past five years. Close to 30% report being harassed at least once in the last year. The EU poll is the largest ever […] Anti-Semitism Blog
December 10, 2018 Chile Declares BDS Illegal for its Cities Last week, the Chilean National Comptroller, a body that serves as the government’s auditor, established that it is against the law for Chilean municipalities to boycott Israel. This landmark decision was in part due to the complaints from the Chilean Jewish Community and the Chilean community in Israel about the Valdivia municipality’s ban on companies doing […] Anti-Zionism Blog
December 10, 2018 Vandals First Damage Penn State Menorah, Then Steal It Last week, the large menorah which sat outside the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity house at Penn State was first torn down and later stolen by vandals. Anti-Semitism Blog
December 5, 2018 69 Orgs Urge Dep’t of Ed to Ensure NRCs Do Not Implement Academic Boycotts In a letter organized by the AMCHA Initiative, 69 organizations, including the Brandeis Center, urged the Department of Education to ensure that National Resource Center (NRC) faculty do not implement academic boycotts at universities. The letter, addressed to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, gave two examples of recent events held at the University of Michigan and New York University, both of which were organized and funded by Department of Education-designated Middle East Studies NRCs. Anti-Zionism Blog
December 5, 2018 Pitzer President Condemns Faculty Motion to Suspend Israel Study Abroad On November 29th, Pitzer College President Melvin Oliver condemned the resolution passed by the school’s faculty to suspend the college’s study abroad program at the University of Haifa in a speech before the Pitzer College Council. The faculty’s resolution garnered severe backlash from students and outside organizations alike. The Brandeis Center joined a letter, organized by the AMCHA Initiative and signed by 75 civil rights, education, and student organizations expressing dismay over the Pitzer Faculty’s vote. Anti-Semitism Anti-Zionism Blog
December 5, 2018 Anti-Semitism at Columbia Teachers College On Wednesday, November 28th, Columbia’s Teachers College Professor Elizabeth Midlarsky walked towards her office to discover that she was the victim of an anti-Semitic act. At approximately 1 P.M., Elizabeth Midlarsky, who is a Jewish professor who teaches courses in Psychology and Education, and teaches and conducts research on the Holocaust, found two swastikas and […] Anti-Semitism Blog
November 30, 2018 CNN Poll Shows Renewed Frequency of Anti-Semitism in Europe Findings from a recent CNN poll indicate that anti-Semitism across Europe is “alive and well.” The survey interviewed a cross-section of more than 7,000 individuals from seven European countries. Respondents from Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, and Sweden espoused a collection of antiquated Jewish stereotypes which remain pertinent in the social, cultural, and […] Anti-Semitism Blog
November 29, 2018 Pitzer Faculty Senate Votes to End Israel Study Abroad Programs On November 8th, the Pitzer College faculty voted to suspend the school’s study abroad program at the University of Haifa in Israel. The faculty’s resolution called for the “suspension of the College’s exchange with Haifa University, until (a) the Israeli state ends its restrictions on entry to Israel based on ancestry and/or political speech and (b) the Israeli state adopts policies granting visas for exchanges to Palestinian universities on a fully equal basis as it does to Israeli universities.” This resolution has received significant backlash from students and community members. Anti-Zionism Blog
November 28, 2018 Argentinian Soccer Fans Chant “Kill Jews to Make Soap” Last week, Argentinian soccer fans caused an uproar by chanting anti-Semitic slogans during a match against a rival team. Anti-Semitism Blog
November 21, 2018 Anti-Semitic Hate in Toronto In Toronto on November 11th, a group of four Jewish teens were assaulted “in a Hitler-inspired racial attack.” According to the Toronto Sun, while walking to their Yeshiva to study in the evening, these 17-year old Jewish teens were approached by up to 20 teenage boys. One of the victims noted that they may have […] Anti-Semitism Blog
November 20, 2018 Anti-Semitism Affecting U.S. High Schools The growing intensity of anti-Semitism in America is not only affecting college students but also high school students throughout the country. 50 students, most of them Jewish, from Amity High in Woodbridge, Connecticut attended a Board of Education meeting in mid-November to express their subjection to anti-Jewish rhetoric and harassment. After seeing swastikas carved across […] Anti-Semitism Blog
November 19, 2018 Kentucky Governor Signs Anti-BDS Executive Order On November 15th, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin signed an anti-BDS executive order into law, making the State of Kentucky the 26th state to enact a law against the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement.The executive order denounces the BDS movement for being discriminatory, highlights Kentucky’s strong trade relationship with Israel, and points out the fact that governors from all 50 states (and the mayor of DC) have signed a statement against the BDS movement. Anti-Zionism Blog
November 16, 2018 Louis D. Brandeis and the Virtue of Jewish America The difference between a nation and a nationality is clear, but it is not always observed. Likeness between members is the essence of nationality, but the members of a nation may be very different. A nation may be composed of many nationalities, as some of the most successful nations are. – Louis D. Brandeis Louis Dembitz […] Anti-Semitism Blog
November 16, 2018 Annual FBI Report Shows 37% Increase in Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes The Federal Bureau of Investigation released their annual Hate Crime Statistics which indicated a 37% increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in 2017. Anti-Semitism Blog