December 22, 2019 The executive order that defines and combats anti-Semitism without stifling speech Is it anti-Semitism to support the destruction of the one and only Jewish nation-state—home to approximately half of the Jews in the world today? Is it anti-Semitism to say that Jews do not have a right to self-determination—that Jews have no right to exercise sovereignty within any borders in their ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel? Media Coverage Press Room
October 7, 2019 Joint Duke-UNC Middle East Studies Program in Hot Water By Melissa White – September 20, 2019 Jewish Insider The U.S. Department of Education blasted a joint Middle Eastern studies program between the University of North Carolina and Duke University for providing a biased curriculum to students. The department ordered UNC’s vice chancellor for research to provide an updated curriculum for the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East […] Media Coverage Press Room
June 5, 2019 UC-Irvine Graduate Student Purveys Anti-Zionism While Rejecting Anti-Semitism Sheikh Osman Umarji, A PhD student at UCI’s School of Education, delivered a sermon underpinned by anti-Semitism and a clear denial of Israel’s right to exist. In his speech, Umarji stated the need for “courage to fight Zionism” in order to “free the Palestinians from the oppression.” He rallied against “specific Israeli government policies and Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories” while repeatedly denouncing a Jewish state in any form. The incident at UC Irvine is not an isolated case; the conflation of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism continues to be a problem on college campuses throughout the country. Recent data shows how it has contributed to the general uptick in anti-Jewish animus in higher education. Media Coverage Press Room
March 19, 2019 Zionist Student Group Accuses UC Berkeley Middle East Center of Anti-Israel ‘Indoctrination’ A Zionist student group has accused the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) at the University of California, Berkeley, of displaying bias against Israel, raising concerns over its use of federal funding. Media Coverage Press Room
March 4, 2019 Publisher embroiled in legal battle with Arkansas over law banning Israel boycotts When letters first showed up on Alan Leveritt’s desk saying the Arkansas Times was required to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel in order to continue to receive state contracts, he ignored them. Media Coverage Press Room
February 6, 2019 Federal Judge: Plaintiffs suing American Studies Association over BDS “may have meritorious claims,” but must file in state court In December 2013, the American Studies Association (ASA) became the first, and so far the only, major American academic association to adopt the academic boycott of Israel, part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). Media Coverage Press Room
January 21, 2019 WHY PROHIBITING BOYCOTTS OF ISRAEL DOES NOT VIOLATE FREEDOM OF SPEECH The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is campaigning against existing and proposed federal and local laws that would deter boycotts of Israel popularized by the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS). Their argument is that requiring all businesses who want to contract with the state to certify that they do not engage in a boycott of Israel violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Media Coverage Press Room
January 18, 2019 Mixed Reactions after Prosecution Efforts at UCLA and UCI Organized disruptors — both students and non-students — who shut down a pro-Israel gathering at University of California Los Angeles in May 2018 might not be prosecuted, according to information from LA City Attorney Mike Feuer’s office. Instead, they will be called to a confidential but mandatory proceeding called a “City Attorney Hearing,” an alternative to prosecution which can be described as a “warning” not to repeat the conduct. One legal expert compared it to a “deferred prosecution,” but stressed a full trial could still result. Media Coverage Press Room
November 26, 2018 Training attorneys to combat rising threat of anti-Semitism JIGSAW – “Justice Initiative Guiding Student Activists Worldwide” – is the brainchild of Alyza Lewin, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center. She explains the reason she introduced JIGSAW. Media Coverage Press Room
November 21, 2018 New initiative equips law students with legal tools to fight rising antisemitism The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, in conjunction with Hasbara Fellowships, on Friday, Nov. 2 launched JIGSAW Initiative, a innovative pilot program to train law students to combat and prevent resurgent antisemitism. Media Coverage Press Room