Kenneth L. Marcus LDB President Kenneth Marcus recently went on The Edwin Black Show to discuss the anti-Israeli de-legitimization, or BDS (boycott, divest, and sanction) movement. Mr. Marcus, in particular, was able to address what is happening on college campuses in regards to this BDS movement. According to Mr. Marcus, this problem is something repeatedly presenting itself on America’s college campuses all around the country. What at first may begin as a political sentiment oftentimes, stated Mr. Marcus, turns virulent so to be not just aimed at Israel and Israelis, but also in a sense to Jewish Americans as well. The political movement against Israel transforms into something more foreboding, and is often verbalized in an anti-Semitic fashion, making use of traditional anti-Semitic motifs. The problem is exacerbated because of the disproportionate influence on college campuses of individuals with extreme positions, especially if they are on the far left. It is not the case, Mr. Marcus states, that most professors and students are anti-Semitic. Rather, it’s a relatively small number of anti-Semitic people in a given situation that get much more attention on a college campus than they would in any other faction of American life. Compounding that, anti-Israeli professors are the ones more likely to be teaching Middle East studies and the Humanities. Additionally, they are the ones who are more likely to say it’s okay to introduce your values into the classroom as well as to be politically active themselves. It follows, then, that anti-Israeli professors are engaged in shifting the politics in a way that supports their movement. All of these factors, says Mr. Marcus, lead to greater anti-Israel, and sometimes anti-Semitic, influence on college campuses. Of all college campuses, Mr. Marcus states that University of California at Irvine is near the worst when it comes to anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incidents. The famous case of the Irvine 11, brought up first by Mr. Black, is an indicator of that. The Irvine 11 were responsible for, through a pre-arranged plan, interrupting and driving the Israeli ambassador off the stage during his speech at the UC Irvine campus. Though Mr. Marcus comments that situations of anti-Semitism are likely just as present on other campuses as they are at UC Irvine, this campus has gotten more public attention because of the federal investigation that followed. There have been “scores of incidents over the years,” said Mr. Marcus, “and it just doesn’t seem to stop.” He suspects that there are other “Irvines” out there that we are just not aware of yet. And often, says Mr. Marcus, when academic freedom is being denied, it tends to be that of the pro-Israel students. He brings up the example of some Brooklyn College students who wanted to say something pro-Israel at a discussion on the BDS movement. Four students were let in then escorted out of the discussion, while several others were denied admission. The students were never even given the chance to speak. In cases such as the Irvine 11, it is the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) that investigates to determine if there is an anti-Semitic environment. In cases such as these, it is necessary to present OCR with evidence which proves discrimination. When such discrimination is found, the university is given the opportunity to enter into a voluntary agreement to solve the problem. If they university refuses this step, the ultimate step would be a hearing to determine if the school will lose its federal funding, which is typically in the millions of dollars. What the Louis D Brandeis Center does about this problem, says Mr. Marcus, is to actually establish a presence on college campuses, visiting and talking to presidents, administrators, and students about what their rights are. If the LDB finds a violation during this process, they are prepared to bring suit, something that has yet to happen, though there are several on intake, stated Mr. Marcus. What the LDB really hopes to do, he said, is to work with administrators to resolve things, and in the end the LDB is really just “looking for a situation in which administration takes anti-Jewish bigotry with the same seriousness and the same resolve that they use for other forms of racism and bigotry.” To view the full interview, go to: http://www.ibc-tv.com/video/shows/The-Edwin-Black-Show-AIPAC-Coverage/dd1cf120-9714-11e2-a2db-00163e1f61fa/2013-05-24/Kenneth-Marcus-President-and-General-Counsel-of-The-Louis-D-Brandeis-Center/