Brandeis Center Vice Chair and Senior Counsel L. Rachel Lerman acceptedt he additional role of general counsel earlier this month. “I look forward to this opportunity to take my work with the Brandeis Center a step further and help the organization sustain its impact and growth,” said Lerman. “I am honored to have been selected for this role.”

.

“With the continued growth of our civil rights organization, we will rely on Rachel’s expertise to inform case work and represent the Brandeis Center in litigation,” declared Brandeis Center Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus. “It is exciting to reach this moment in our organization’s history, where our growth and sophistication requires a dedicated General Counsel,” said Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin. “As a Chambers ranked appellate lawyer, long-time member of the Brandeis Center’s Board of Directors, and Senior Counsel at the Brandeis Center this past year, there is no one better suited to advise us in this capacity.”

.

Lerman was recently appointed to the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s State Appellate Judicial Evaluation Committee. She will take part in the committee’s evaluations of nominees to the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal.

.

Earlier this summer, she authored a Jerusalem Post op-ed explaining how an independent investigator recommended financial services giant Morningstar address anti-Israel bias in the software it uses to rate companies’ positions on social justice issues – known industry-wide as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Lerman urged Morningstar to modify the ESG rating methodology used by its subsidiary Sustainalytics to ensure it is objective and reliable, and not a conduit for BDS activism.

.

Lerman followed that up by participating in drafting a letter organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and co-signed by a number of Jewish American groups, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Conference of Presidents, urging Morningstar to take further steps to eliminate anti-Israel bias.

In numerous interviews, Alyza D. Lewin describes the Brandeis Center’s representation of Avi Zinger, the manufacturer and distributor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and explains the lead role the Brandeis Center had in preventing Ben & Jerry’s unlawful anti-Israel boycott. Her strong statement about Unilever’s defense of its agreement with Zinger in response to the lawsuit filed by Ben & Jerry’s independent board – was picked up by media outlets around the globe.

.

In an interview on Israel’s i24 cable news channel, Lewin highlighted Avi Zinger’s remarkable coexistence programs over the years. C’est amusant – she even appeared on the network’s French channel, where her expertise was translated for Israel’s sizable French community. Lewin was also invited to appear on broadcast program ‘Talkline with Zev Brenner’ to discuss the historic agreement.

.

President Lewin and Vice Chair Lerman also explained the theory of the Brandeis Center’s lawsuit and how it led to the milestone settlement during a webinar hosted by the JCRC of Greater Washington, AJC, and the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists.

.

Finally, Lewin provided details and context when she discussed the Ben & Jerry’s case during the recent Israel on Campus Field Professional Retreat. At that same conference, during a panel called Standing up to Hate: Civil Rights and the Law, Lewin provided a must-watch deep dive explaining what college students and college administrators must understand about Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to stem the tide of anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination on America’s campuses.

We extend a heartfelt thank you and good luck to our summer team of law clerks and interns, some of whom wrap up their service this week. Intern Rosemarie Goldstein published a blog this week about Vice Chair Lerman’s new appointment and intern Danya Belkin published a summary of the Brandeis Center’s newest fact sheet.