As we mark the end of Jewish American Heritage Month, the Brandeis Center continues to lead the fight against anti-Semitism with bold legal action, high-level advocacy, and impactful public engagement. From filing federal complaints on behalf of Jewish employees facing discrimination, to urging reforms in taxpayer-funded DEI programs, to launching a national coalition for change, the Brandeis Center remains at the forefront of defending Jewish civil rights. This month’s work honors the legacy of our namesake, Justice Louis D. Brandeis, and celebrates the enduring contributions of the Jewish community to America. Read on for the latest updates on our legal victories, policy initiatives, and the people driving our mission forward. 
 

In this issue: 

New Lawsuit Filed Combating Workplace Anti-Semitism

On behalf of numerous Jewish employees of the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), the Brandeis Center filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The complaints allege the employees’ own union, A Better NYLAG, not only failed to represent their interests but also actively obstructed efforts by NYLAG to address and remedy an anti-Semitic workplace environment allegedly fostered by the union itself. Jewish employees claim the union’s actions and rhetoric, including slogans like “Intifada Now,” created a discriminatory environment and undermined their rights to fair representation.  

“Rather than defend the right of these Jewish NYLAG employees in the ABN’s [A Better NYLAG] bargaining unit to be free from a toxic work environment – created in large part by the ABN’s own activities – the ABN went so far as to advocate against the very Jewish employees whom they purport to represent,” senior counsel Rory Lancman told the New York Post. 

Brandeis Center Issues ‘Blockbuster’ Letter to Trump Administration

In a groundbreaking letter outlining the next frontier in our fight against anti-Semitism in education, the Brandeis Center called on the Trump administration and federal leaders to reform taxpayer-funded DEI programming that distorts Jewish identity, promotes anti-Semitic narratives and marginalizes Jewish and Israeli students.  

Among the troubling issues we expose are the erasure of Jewish ethnicity and indigenous identity, Jewish students being told to “identify as white,” and DEI trainings portraying Zionism as racism. Read the full letter with more examples here.

 

Advocating for Jewish Employee Resource Groups

In early May, the Brandeis Center warned Microsoft in a letter that if it continued to distribute professional benefits and advantages through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on the basis of ethnic or racial identity, while denying these benefits to Jewish and other employes, the Brandeis Center would file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC and seek to proceed immediately to a lawsuit in federal court alleging a violation of federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws. 

A few weeks later, Adobe officially recognized a Jewish ERG, a significant milestone in the  fight for equal treatment of Jewish employees amidst the rise in workplace anti-Semitism. The Brandeis Center advised and worked closely with Adobe’s Jewish employees throughout this effort, and applauds Adobe for this important recognition.

 

Investigation Opened at Cal Poly

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into a complaint filed by the Brandeis Center and Jewish on Campus against California State Polytechnic (Cal Poly), Humboldt. The organizations allege that the university is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by cultivating a campus environment that allowed for the verbal and physical harassment, exclusion, and abuse of Jewish students.

Denise Katz-Prober, Director of Legal Initiatives, told the Jewish Journal, “What’s at issue in our complaint as we documented is unlawful conduct and behavior that the university was obligated to address in order to make sure that Jewish students are safe and welcome on their campus. They didn’t do so, and that’s why we filed the complaint.”

Capitol Hill Briefing on Defining Anti-Semitism


On May 22, the Brandeis Center hosted a Capitol Hill briefing titled “Hearing from Students: Defining the Anti-Semitism That Harms Us.” The panel discussion was introduced by Brandeis Center Chairman and CEO Kenneth L. Marcus and moderated by Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin. The panel featured a current student from Yale and two recent graduates from Cal Poly and Brooklyn College. The event was co-sponsored by Congressman Mike Lawler, who co-sponsored the Antisemitism Awareness Act and is an advocate of adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism. 

At the briefing, which took place one day following the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, Mr. Marcus emphasized that this is a time to “not be afraid, not to shrink back, but to redouble our efforts.” Ms. Lewin added, “we are at a moment that calls out for urgency. It’s a moment where we must act.”

Read more about the discussion in this blog.

Alyza D. Lewin Named to Religious Liberty Commission

Earlier this month, President Trump  announced  the establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission to safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom. On Friday, the President designated individuals to serve on three advisory boards — religious leaders, legal experts, and lay advisors — and named Alyza D. Lewin to the Advisory Board of Legal Experts. 

“I am honored to have been selected by President Trump to serve on the Advisory Board of Legal Experts to the Religious Liberty Commission,” said Ms. Lewin. “As someone who grew up in a family that for many generations has fought to secure the right of Jews to practice our faith freely and with pride, it is a privilege to carry on this family tradition. 
 
“For nearly three decades, I have joined my father and law partner, Nathan Lewin, in enforcing the law on behalf of Jews and other Americans observing their faith. Over the past seven years, I broadened my vision, as president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, to ensure the Jewish people are also protected from harassment and discrimination that targets them on the basis of the Jews’ ancestral connection to the land of Israel. 
 
“I look forward to working with the distinguished members of the Commission and its advisory boards to increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of America’s founding principle of religious liberty and to ensuring compliance with the legal protections guaranteed by American law.” 

Video: Zionist Rabbinic Coalition Conference
 Israel is the only country in the world that is told it has no right to exist – that’s contemporary anti-Semitism, but most of the world still fails to recognize it as such.  In a recent address at the 4th annual Zionist Rabbinic Coalition Conference in Washington, DC, Alyza Lewin spoke to a group of rabbis and Jewish leaders about the evolving ways anti-Semitism manifests on college campuses, and how the general public, and university administrators, still do not understand anti-Semitism. Watch her full address here: 

Join the New Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism

We are proud to share the launch of the Louis D. Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism—a powerful new initiative uniting people of conscience in the fight to eliminate anti-Semitism and defend civil and human rights for all. 

 
Together as one, the Coalition promotes justice, equality, and the fundamental rights of the Jewish people—rights too often threatened by discrimination, harassment, and hatred. The Brandeis Center partners with the Coalition to advance civil and human rights. 

Join the Coalition today and be part of the solution. 

Membership is free of charge and obligation.

Jewish American Heritage Month: Honoring Justice Brandeis

This Jewish American Heritage Month, we proudly reflect on the legacy of Justice Louis D. Brandeis, the influential figure for whom the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law is named. Justice Brandeis exemplifies the values at the heart of our mission: a commitment to the civil rights of the Jewish people and a broader dedication to justice for all.  

Justice Brandeis was also a proud leader in the American Zionist movement, advocating for the self-determination of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland while remaining steadfast in his belief that Jewish identity was fully compatible with American democratic ideals. His example continues to inspire Jewish Americans to engage in the civic life of our country with confidence and purpose.  

In naming our organization after Justice Brandeis, the Brandeis Center honors a legacy that champions both the Jewish people and the broader struggle for human dignity. His life reminds us that the pursuit of justice is not limited to one group—it is a universal call that demands courage, vision, and a commitment to truth.

Read more about Justice Brandeis on our blog. 

In this issue, we examine pivotal legal and policy developments shaping the national response to campus anti-Semitism—from filing new, innovative lawsuits at Columbia and UCLA, to Harvard’s federal funding standoff, to the Brandeis Center’s advancing lawsuit against UC Berkeley. We also highlight new government actions, influential thought leadership from Brandeis Center experts, and a congressional briefing focused on safeguarding the rights of Jewish Americans amidst the historic rise in anti-Semitism. 

In this issue: 

Brandeis Center Sues Organizations and Individuals Behind Columbia University Janitor Assault, UCLA Encampments 

Last weekend, the Brandeis Center filed two new lawsuits targeting the organizations allegedly behind anti-Semitic encampments at Columbia University and UCLA, as reported exclusively in The Free Press. Unlike previous lawsuits focused on university administrations, these actions directly accuse professional activist groups of orchestrating violent, racially motivated assaults and civil rights violations against Jewish students and others. The lawsuits allege that groups with ties to Hamas coordinated the occupation of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall and the establishment of “Jew exclusion zones” at UCLA, fostering environments of intimidation, violence, and discrimination. This follows recent legal victories by the Brandeis Center, including a landmark settlement with Harvard University to strengthen anti-Semitism policies. 

According to Kenneth L. Marcus, Chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center, “These were not organic student-driven events, as they claimed to be. This was part of a professional, coordinated effort that we’re seeing taking place across the country… Until we acknowledge that these protests were part of a larger web of radical anti-Semitism, and until we hold the perpetrators actually carrying out this abuse accountable, these vicious attacks will continue. And Jewish students and faculty – and those who stand up for them – will continue to suffer.” 

Columbia University

Filed by Torridon Law PLLC and the Brandeis Center, the complaint alleges that pro-Hamas group The People’s Forum, Inc. and numerous individuals, including professional agitators, were responsible for brutalizing two janitors during the takeover of Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall.  As a result, these two janitors have not been able to return to work and now suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The complaint also alleges that numerous non-defendant pro-Hamas organizations and groups, including Within Our Lifetime United For Palestine, Westchester People’s Action Coalition, Inc., Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace, directly or indirectly supported the seizure of Hamilton Hall.  

Mr. Marcus spoke more about the lawsuit on Fox News. Watch the full segment here. 

UCLA Encampments

Filed by Consovoy McCarthy PLLC and the Brandeis Center, the UCLA complaint alleges that several groups – including National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), AJP Educational Foundation, Inc., Faculty for Justice in Palestine Network, WESPAC Foundation, and People’s City Council – engaged in a long-running and coordinated anti-Semitic conspiracy to deny Jews equal access to campus. 

According to the complaint, anti-Semitism on campus severely worsened when protesters erected a violent, pro-Hamas encampment on Dickson Plaza and Royce Quad. Within the encampment, protesters created and enforced a “Jew exclusion zone,” which was defended by threats of physical violence. Protesters designated teams of security personnel armed with wooden planks, makeshift shields, pepper spray, tasers, and even a sword to man “checkpoints” and “human phalanxes” designed to intimidate Jewish and Israeli students and faculty.

Implications from Harvard’s Fight for Federal Funding 

Shortly after President Trump announced his intention to rescind federal funding from universities that, in his words, “promote antisemitism and fail to protect Jewish students,” $2.2 billion in federal funds to Harvard were frozen, and its nonprofit status was threatened. In response, Harvard’s president took a strong stance opposing the administration’s demands, setting up a standoff that could redefine how elite institutions manage academic autonomy. However, in a new piece for The New York Sun, Brandeis Center Chairman and CEO  Kenneth L. Marcus  reminds us that the reality is more complex: “There are strings attached when one accepts billions of dollars in taxpayer money.” 

The impact this standoff will have on the fight against anti-Semitism and the future of higher education remains to be seen. As  Mr. Marcus  told  The New York Times, the government’s proposals go “far beyond anti-Semitism and reflect a far wider cultural concern within the conservative movement about what is rotten in higher education.” He added in The Boston Globe  that Harvard’s response “is not a good look for Harvard… this is not the time to act on ideological differences.”

 

Alyza Lewin on Boundless Insights with Aviva Klompas podcast 

Alyza D. Lewin is featured on the latest episode of the  Boundless Insights  with Aviva Klompas podcast, where she discusses the current surge of anti-Semitism on college campuses, the federal government’s response, and the legal frameworks in place to protect the civil rights of Jewish students. She also addresses distinctions between protected speech and unlawful harassment, and the importance of

elevating the voices of Jewish students.  
 
“When does criticism of Israel cross the line into anti-Semitism? We need to be able to distinguish between good faith political debate about policies… and what is happening on university campuses.” 

This episode offers timely insight into how civil rights protections under Title VI can be used to combat anti-Semitism and support safe, inclusive learning environments. 
 
To learn more listen to the full episode on  Apple,  Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

 

Court Rules Brandeis Center Title VI and Constitutional Law Claims Against Berkeley Will Proceed 

Last week, a California court rejected UC Berkeley’s motion to dismiss the Brandeis Center’s lawsuit against the University for its deliberate indifference to the harassment of Jewish and Israeli students and its discriminatory treatment of those students. The Court’s denial of the University’s motion to dismiss means that the Brandeis Center’s claims under the United States Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act will go forward. This is a substantial victory for Berkeley students and for the broader fight against campus anti-Semitism. 

Following the Court’s ruling, the case will proceed to the “discovery” phase, wherein UC Berkeley will be compelled to disclose important documents to LDB. The Brandeis Center is pleased  that the law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher — recognized as one of the Top 10 U.S. law firms on American Lawyer’s A-List — will join our litigation team moving forward in this case. We are committed to ensuring that justice prevails for the many Jewish students whose civil rights have been violated. 

Read more about the latest in the case in Reuters.

How Government Action Can Combat Campus Anti-Semitism 

A newly formed U.S. government task force has launched a campaign targeting elite American universities, pressuring them to address anti-Semitism and reshape campus culture. Led by officials from several federal departments, including Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice, the task force has already frozen or withdrawn over $11 billion in federal funding from institutions like Columbia and Harvard. Its broad mandate extends beyond combating combatting anti-Semitism to challenging perceived progressive orthodoxy in higher education, including DEI initiatives and affirmative action. 

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kenneth L. Marcus, former head of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights and current chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center, praised the task force’s approach. He described the involvement of the General Services Administration in the task force’s work as a “brilliant stroke,” noting that the power to pull back contracts “brings to bear immense new potentials for influencing compliance with federal civil rights laws.” 
 
Mr. Marcus also joined The Story with Martha MacCallum on Fox News to discuss how universities are not innocent bystanders in the broad-based attacks we are seeing across campuses. 

Confronting Anti-Semitism: Policy Briefing for the 119th Congress  

On April 11, the Brandeis Center hosted a Capitol Hill briefing with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, outlining the current state of anti-Semitism in America and the policy solutions needed to address it. Kenneth L. Marcus was joined by Denise Katz-Prober, Director of Legal Initiatives at the Brandeis Center, along with Dan Granot, National Director of Antisemitism Policy at ADL, Arie Lipnick, advisor for the Combat Antisemitism Movement, David Goldfarb, Senior Director at Jewish Federations Strategic Health Center, and Dr. Charles Asher Small, the founding director and president of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy.  

Read more on the blog and watch the full event below:

LDB sued the People’s Forum and other individuals, including professional agitators, who were responsible for the Hamilton Hall takeover at Columbia University in April 2024.  The complaint describes in great detail that this was not an organic student-driven event, but rather was part of a professional, coordinated effort by career supporters of Hamas across the country who aim to propagate Hamas’ anti-Semitic goals.  LDB represents two janitors who were working overnight shifts at Hamilton Hall.  Neither are Jewish but they were mocked and derided as “Jew-lovers” and “Zionists.”  They were assaulted and battered and are now suffering from PTSD and have been unable to return to work.   The complaint was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York and alleges civil rights claims based on 42 U.S.C. §1985(3) and 42 U.S.C. §1986, as well as assault, battery, and intentional/reckless infliction of emotional distress.  It seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees.