LDB Holds Stanford Accountable For Anti-Semitism In DEI Program And Responds To The Gaza Conflict – July Brandeis Brief Last month the Center filed a federal complaint against Stanford University on behalf of two Jewish mental health care providers after concerns about anti-Semitism in staff diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings were left unaddressed by the university. The timing could not have been worse for a university to ignore anti-Semitism. As this month’s Brandeis Brief also shows, the recent Gaza conflict has spurred another huge spike in anti-Jewish incidents. Kenneth L. Marcus urges President Joe Biden to take a firmer stance on anti-Semitism and religious freedom. Similarly, Alyza D. Lewin urges the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of anti-Semitism in its entirety, emphasizing the importance of its examples. Also this month, LDB’s Summer Speakers Series continued with insightful legal analysis from leading legal experts Mark Rotenberg and Professor Oren Gross about some of the most pressing legal issues recently faced by students and professors on campus. As always, we thank you for your tax deductible donations and acknowledge that without you our work could not be done. Complaint filed against Stanford University for disregarding antisemitism concerns Melissa Weiss, Jewish Insider Two Stanford mental health counselors represented by the Brandeis Center filed a federal complaint last month with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charging Stanford with ignoring anti-Semitism and fostering a hostile environment for Jewish staff in one of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. The case demonstrates why DEI programs must be professionalized and skillfully administered in order to prevent them from perpetrating the invidious discrimination they were intended to eliminate. Read more here. “In Biden administration’s defense of religious freedom, ‘adequate’ is not enough” Kenneth L. Marcus, Washington Times Kenneth L. Marcus explores the ramifications of the Biden Administration’s reversal on a formal pledge to “vigorously” defend religious freedom. He also highlights the administration’s gaffe as a worrying example of mainstream institutions caving to political pressure to revise laudable statements. Read more here. Time for Biden to issue an executive order on antisemitism Kenneth L. Marcus, The Hill In the wake of a surge of anti-Semitism linked to the Gaza conflict, Marcus urges President Biden to do more than just the bare minimum to combat anti-Semitism, including issuing an executive order and establishing a dedicated inter-agency task force to address the issue. Read more here. Alyza D. Lewin speaks at SSI conference on the importance of IHRA and its examples Nathaniel Berman, Brandeis Blog At a recent presentation for Students Supporting Israel’s “Define it to Fight it” online conference, Alyza D. Lewin discussed the importance of adopting the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism in its entirety in the face of calls by critics to omit the 11 examples it employs. Many of those examples highlight the ways in which contemporary anti-Semitism is linked to the denial of the Jewish right to self-determination and the demonization of Israel. Read more here. The International Legal Forum discusses ancient Jew-hatred in modern times Chloe Shrager, Brandeis Blog Alyza D. Lewin appeared on an expert panel hosted by the International Legal Forum to speak on the modern day mutations of ancient anti-Semitism. Lewin provided detailed analyses on how the most recent wave of anti-Zionist anti-Semitism sparked by the Gaza conflict differs from past waves, and how the global Jewish diaspora can combat it by coming together and proudly proclaiming Jewish identity in the face of anti-Zionism. Read more here. A Chance to Right a Wrong Decision Diane B. Kunz Professor Diane B. Kunz addresses a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Judicial Circuit to allow a rehearing in a case that partially struck down Arkansas’ anti-Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) law. Since it was passed in 2017, the law faced challenges by pro-BDS groups who claimed it violated their First Amendment rights. Kunz argues that that contention hinges on a misinterpretation of the law. Read more here. Recognizing Anti-Zionist Anti-Semitism Russell Shalev, Brandeis Blog Russell Shalev, an Israeli lawyer at the International Legal Forum (ILF), writes about the rise in anti-Semitism—which amounted to a 75% increase in the United States—following the most recent Gaza conflict. The ILF recently released a comprehensive guide for policymakers entitled “Recognizing Anti-Zionist Antisemitism.” Shalev discusses the history of anti-Semitism and its undeniable ties to anti-Zionism. Despite Jews being just one of many groups defending their right to self-determination, he argues, “the Jewish national movement, is singled out, falsely condemned as racist, and delegitimized.” In order to effectively combat anti-Semitism, Shalev suggests concrete measures involving better training on what constitutes anti-Semitism and increased cooperation with legal authorities. Read more here. A Victory for Campus Freedom Diane B. Kunz, Brandeis Blog Professor Diane B. Kunz explains the judicial vindication of Fordham University’s decision to prevent Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) from registering as an official campus organization. Fordham refused SJP’s claims to recognition on the grounds that the organization is “affiliated with a national organization reported to have engaged in disruptive and coercive actions on other campuses.” After a five-year battle in the New York court system, Fordham prevailed in what Kunz describes as a “win for campus freedom.” Read more here. Top Hillel lawyer explains how anti-Zionist professors violate academic freedom Samantha Crane, Brandeis Blog As part of LDB’s summer speaker series, Hillel’s Mark Rotenberg explains the relationship between “Academic Freedom and The Fight Against Anti-Semitism.” Rotenberg gives a thorough explanation of the concerning rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism plaguing campuses across the country. Rotenberg also details efforts to connect the United States racial injustice narrative with the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. Read more here. LDB Summer Speaker Series features Attorney Mark Rotenberg Watch here. Summer Speaker Series with Professor Oren Gross Brandeis Blog Professor Oren Gros s has stepped forward to explain his resignation from the university’s Center for Jewish studies following their “deafening silence” on the recent Israeli defense against Hamas’s rocket campaign. He also offered advice to attending students and professors on how to initiate conversations about Israel on their own campuses. Read more here. Professor Oren Gross discusses modern antisemitism and his resignation from his university’s Center for Jewish Studies Watch here. Call for Papers for the “Law vs. Antisemitism” Conference Sarah Engelman, Brandeis Center The conveners of the “Law vs. Antisemitism” conference have asked the Brandeis Center to share a Call for Papers with our readers. The conference will be held on campus and virtually at IU McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana on March 13-14, 2022. The deadline to submit papers is August 1, 2021. Read more here. Brandeis Center Welcomes Summer Interns Brandeis Center This summer, the Brandeis Center welcomes four interns: Nathaniel Berman, Samantha Crane, Joni Rosenberg, and Chloe Shrager. They have hit the ground running, providing valuable contributions to this Brandeis Brief and will continue to add to the Brandeis Center’s work. Read more here.