In advance of a speech on campus by notorious anti-Semite Mohammed El-Kurd, LDB urged Georgetown University to promptly and forcefully condemn any anti-Semitic speech, should El-Kurd repeat the hateful rhetoric he used recently on other campuses.. “The University should use its own voice to clearly and unequivocally condemn anti-Semitic speech that runs counter to the University’s values of inclusivity…and that threatens to create a hostile environment for Jewish students on campus.”

Read more about LDB’s letter in The Algemeiner.

LDB Joins Coalition Urging Universities to Withdraw MESA Membership

LDB joined AMCHA Initiative, Academic Engagement Network and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East in urging a dozen U.S. universities to withdraw institutional membership from the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) after the organization endorsed an academic boycott of Israel. Failure to do so, the groups charge, would violate the intent and spirit of the Title VI funding that these universities receive from the U.S. Department of Education.

“University leaders who are committed to the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion should, as a first step, withdraw from any organization that embraces anti-Semitic or racist principles,” declared Kenneth Marcus, LDB founder and chair. “This includes, at a minimum, organizations that adopt anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement policies or practices. This would be an important step for any university, but it is doubly important for any institution that accepts federal funds under Title VI.”

The Brandeis Center, joined by Hadassah, filed an amicus brief in a federal court of appeals, urging the Court to reverse a lower court’s decision that misinterpreted Texas’ anti-Israel boycott law by ruling that it violated a Palestinian contractor’s First Amendment rights. The Brandeis Center’s legal brief argues that Texas’ anti-BDS law targets discriminatory conduct, not speech, and discrimination is not protected by the First Amendment. LDB further points out that the judge failed to recognize longstanding precedent upholding the constitutionality of laws that prevent government employees and contractors from discriminating. As the brief states, “This Israel-exception to the States’ established authority to set conditions for government contracts has no basis in the law.”

Read the amicus brief
JNS coverage

The Brandeis Center has partnered with the UIC Decalogue Society to establish a Brandeis Center law student chapter at the University of Illinois-Chicago Law.

“We are excited to announce that we have created a committee within UIC Law Decalogue as a part of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law,” proclaimed UIC Decalogue Society President Benjamin Blekhman. “We are thrilled to be partnered with such an outstanding organization and are grateful to have the opportunity to work together. As we move forward together, it will be with strong leadership, new ideas, and continued resolve to advocate for our community.”

The Brandeis Center’s network of law student chapters at law schools across the country aims to foster a new generation of lawyers committed to advancing LDB’s work to promote Jewish civil rights and combat anti-Semitism on campus.

Former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism, Elan Carr, relied on the results of LDB’s groundbreaking survey of openly Jewish college students to demonstrate why the newly confirmed anti-Semitism Envoy should expand her portfolio to focus on combatting the rise in domestic anti-Semitism.

Following a horrific shooting attack last month on a New York subway train that injured dozens, LDB Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus wrote about a central issue largely ignored by mainstream media coverage of the incident: the shooting suspect’s anti-Semitic ideology and the culture of hate that fomented it.

As Marcus explained, the suspect was motivated by different forms of anti-Semitism that are increasingly prevalent in today’s society: “erasive anti-Semitism,” which denies the right of Jews to define their own identity, and “secondary anti-Semitism,” which blames Jews for others’ misfortunes.

LDB Chairman, Kenneth Marcus, spoke about ‘Defining Anti-Semitism and Why It Matters: An In-Depth Exploration’ at an event hosted by DePaul College of Law’s Center for Jewish Law & Judaic Studies

Kenneth L. Marcus called out the “disgraceful” letter issued by University of Chicago newspaper Chicago Maroon, which apologized for publishing a student op-ed condemning anti-Semitism by SJP. The Maroon later withdrew the op-ed.

Speaking to Campus Reform magazine, Marcus opined about how the incident was reminiscent of the “embarrassing” situation at Rutgers where students “shamed officials into abandoning their moral compasses.” He continued: “One should never apologize for taking a stand against anti-Semitism or racism. What requires an apology is the editors’ decision to apologize for doing the right thing and to undermine those students who continue to do so.”

LDB scholar in residence, Diane Kunz, suggests two readings for those interested in learning more about anti-Semitism and Israel. An article by David Hirsh and former Brandeis intern Hilary Miller “Durban Antizionism: Its Sources, Its Impact, and Its Relation to Older Anti-Jewish Ideologies,” explores how the 2001 Durban Conference against racism became a platform for anti-Jewish hate and set the stage for today’s anti-Zionism. Kunz’s second recommendation, Israel’s Moment:  International Support for and Opposition to Establishing the Jewish State, 1945-1949 by Jeffrey Herf, provides an account of the creation of the State of Israel and debunks much of the conventional wisdom about Israel’s founding.