On April 11, the Brandeis Center hosted a Capitol Hill briefing titled “Confronting Anti-Semitism: Policy Briefing for the 119th Congress.” The panel discussion was moderated by Brandeis Center Chairman and CEO Kenneth L. Marcus. The panel featured Dan Granot, National Director of Antisemitism Policy at the ADL; Arie Lipnick, advisory board member and political strategist with the Combat Antisemitism Movement; David Goldfarb of the Jewish Federations of North American; and Dr. Charles Asher Small, founder, director, and president of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism Policy. Director of Legal Initiatives at the Brandeis Center, Denise Katz-Prober, provided opening remarks. Hosted by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the briefing discussed rising antisemitism and the ongoing efforts to combat it. In her opening remarks, Director of Legal Initiatives Denise Katz-Prober addressed the alarming rise of antisemitism across the United States and emphasized the urgent need for proactive measures to protect Jewish communities. She highlighted the Brandeis Center’s leadership in using legal tools to fight antisemitic discrimination and underscored its commitment to advancing civil rights protections. As Katz-Prober stated, the Center’s mission is to “secure the civil rights of Jews wherever they are threatened.” She then introduced the panel of experts, each bringing a unique perspective and area of expertise to the ongoing fight against antisemitism. Following remarks from Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus, Dan Granot outlined the critical initiatives the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has undertaken to address and combat antisemitism across the country. Granot emphasized the importance of data collection as a tool for identifying trends and developing effective responses. He cited ADL findings that revealed there was “one incident [of antisemitism] per every hour in the United States” this past year. Granot went on to highlight two major ADL programs designed to address antisemitism on college campuses including the Campus Antisemitism Report Card and the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line. The Campus Antisemitism Report Card provides information about the current state of anti-Semitism on college campuses and university responses. The Campus Antisemitism Legal Line, which was launched by the ADL, Brandeis Center, and Hillel International, aims to provide free legal protection for university students who have experienced antisemitism. Arie Lipnick highlighted the data-driven initiatives undertaken by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) to address and reduce antisemitism. He shared findings from a recent CAM study, including a striking statistic: “3.5 million American Jews have personally experienced antisemitism, 380,000 of them being children.” Lipnick emphasized the importance of passing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, arguing that this legislation is a critical step toward confronting antisemitism in all its forms. He also discussed the ongoing federal investigations into antisemitism on college campuses, noting both the encouraging outcomes so far and the importance of sustaining these efforts to ensure continued action. David Goldfarb then addressed the alarming rise of antisemitism within healthcare and other “helping professions.” He explained that the strategies used to combat antisemitism on college campuses are equally applicable to the healthcare sector. He emphasized the influence of financial leverage, noting that the pulling of federal funding is a “tool that gets people to act,” and stressed that it is imperative to apply this approach across all fields. Goldfarb then went on to discuss how the Jewish Federations have identified a troubling spread of antisemitism in the healthcare system, specifically in three areas: academic healthcare settings, therapy, and professional associations. Goldfarb provided relevant and recent examples of how antisemitism has infected these healthcare areas and been harmful to the Jewish healthcare community. Dr. Charles Asher Small began his remarks by emphasizing that the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy “fights antisemitism on the battlefield of ideas.” He explained that antisemitism has increasingly infiltrated academia worldwide, where it is now being weaponized against Jewish students and communities. Dr. Small then addressed the concerning role of foreign investment, particularly from countries such as Qatar, in shaping university narratives that promote antisemitic ideologies. He concluded by highlighting the twelve informational briefs published by ISGAP, which outline the connection between antisemitism in the United States and funding from foreign governments. The briefing concluded with a brief Q&A session, during which Chairman Marcus asked each panelist to share one action they believe would be most effective in combating antisemitism. Dan Granot used this opportunity to endorse the Antisemitism Awareness Act as a vital measure to protect Jewish Americans, particularly Jewish students. Arie Lipnick emphasized the need to investigate both federal and foreign funding to college campuses. David Goldfarb highlighted the importance of the Deterrent Act, which targets funding streams to academic institutions. Finally, Dr. Charles Asher Small emphasized the importance of enforcing Title VI and called for a thorough investigation into Qatar’s financial influence on American universities. The full briefing can be view below. Authored By: Joshua Schwartz