February 22, 2024 Matt Vogel: UVM’s remarkable turnaround has improved life for Jewish students (vtdigger) Published in vtdigger on 2/20/24; op-ed article by Matt Vogel, executive director of UVM Hillel In the wake of a landmark settlement with the federal government, there has been a remarkable evolution in visible support for Jewish students. Jewish life at the University of Vermont has improved remarkably since April 3, 2023, when the U.S. […] Highlights Media Coverage
February 20, 2024 Universities denied grieving Jewish students accommodations: civil rights organization (The College Fix) Published 10/25/23 by The College Fix; Story by Terrance Kible. ‘The world is watching,’ human rights group told universities. ‘Will you rise to the occasion?’ Amid rising campus antisemitism, civil rights groups wrote to more than 500 university presidents reminding them of their obligations to Jewish students and demanding protections that reportedly had been denied. Alyza […] Media Coverage
February 15, 2024 Report: Unnecessary for Morningstar to refer to ‘occupied territory’ to assess companies (JNS) Published by JNS on 2/8/24; Story by Mike Wagenheim “If the remaining BDS controversies come off Israeli companies after this, we can finally say that Morningstar is BDS free,” said Rich Goldberg of FDD. Morningstar, an investment firm headquartered in Chicago that manages and advises on about $264 billion in assets, released a comprehensive report on Wednesday […] Highlights Media Coverage
February 7, 2024 Statement on Morningstar report on anti-Israel bias (Jewish Federations of North America) Published 2/7/24 by JFNA’s ‘FedBeat‘ The coalition of organizations that has worked for over two years to remove bias from ratings in Morningstar’s Sustainalytics ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) welcomes the independent expert report released this morning. This coalition along with other stakeholders pressed the company to engage independent experts to evaluate its methodology, and we believe the […] Highlights Media Coverage
February 5, 2024 Some Jewish parents angry and fearful when teachers back Palestinians (Washington Post) Published 2/4/24 in the Washington Post; Story by Laura Meckler In Oakland, Calif., concerns about antisemitism and school culture prompt some Jewish families to leave In New York City, Jewish leaders, teachers and parents demanded that the schools do more to address what they see as antisemitism, staging a rally on the steps of the […] Highlights Media Coverage
February 1, 2024 UPenn faculty blocks main building in pro-Palestinian ‘die-in’ protest in violation of school policy (Washington Examiner) Published 1/31/24 in Washington Examiner. Story by Peter Cordi. A pro-Palestinian University of Pennsylvania faculty group blocked the main entrance to the school’s College Hall during a “die-in” protest to mourn those who have died in Gaza after Israel’s response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Approximately 86 school faculty participated in or spectated the protest held by the Ivy […] Highlights Media Coverage
January 24, 2024 Students file antisemitism complaint against AU with Dept. of Education (WRC-TV 4 NBC, Washington, D.C.) Published by WRC-TV 4 NBC Washington, D.C.; Story by Aimee Cho Complaint accuses school of creating hostile environment of antisemitism Several Jewish students filed a civil rights complaint against American University accusing the school of creating a hostile environment of antisemitism on campus. Junior Tomer Ben-Ezer said two FBI agents were in the audience to […] Media Coverage
January 18, 2024 4 More Colleges Face Civil Rights Investigations (Inside Higher Ed) Published 1/18/24 by Inside Higher Ed; Story by Katherine Knott The Education Department has now opened dozens of investigations into antisemitic and other bias-related incidents on college campuses since Oct. 7. But resolutions that could lead to changes are expected to take a while. At the University of Minnesota in October, some faculty members were allowed to post […] Media Coverage
January 16, 2024 Six Jewish students sue Harvard University for discrimination (JNS) Published by JNS on 1/12/24; Story by Andrew Bernard “Harvard is a ripe target for antisemitism litigation,” said Kenneth Marcus, of the Brandeis Center. “No one should be surprised to see this lawsuit filed.” Six Jewish students are suing Harvard University alleging a hostile, antisemitic environment in violation of civil-rights law, the New York law […] Media Coverage
January 9, 2024 Harvard and the Failure of DEI (Aish.com) Published by Aish.com on 1/8/24; Story by Faygie Holt Resignation of Harvard and Penn presidents just a first step to address “double standard” Jewish students face in battling antisemitism on campus. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a white police office back in May 2020 America had reckoning of sorts with […] Media Coverage
January 8, 2024 Harvard’s federal funding likely isn’t in danger, but it’s leverage for lawmakers to push changes amid controversy (Boston Globe) Published by the Boston Globe on 1/4/24; Story by Jim Puzzanghera Claudine Gay’s resignation as Harvard’s president hasn’t ended the university’s troubles with its congressional critics, who are zeroing in on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money that flows to Cambridge every year. Gay’s decision to step down has done nothing to deter North […] Media Coverage
January 4, 2024 Alyza Lewin Advocating for Religious Liberty and Protecting Jewish Civil Rights (Washington Jewish Week) Cover story published 1/3/24 by Washington Jewish Week; Story by Braden Hamelin Alyza Lewin, a longtime lawyer, is co-founder and partner at Lewin & Lewin, LLP, and president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, where she advocates for religious liberty and the rights of the Jewish community. The Kesher Israel […] Media Coverage
January 4, 2024 How the Push for Diversity at Colleges and Companies Came Under Siege (Wall Street Journal) Published by The Wall Street Journal on 1/4/24; Story by Ray A. Smith and Lauren Weber DEI programs have come under fire from many directions The management philosophy known as DEI, which had gathered momentum since 2020, has been under siege over the past year amid a collision of legal, economic and geopolitical forces. The […] Media Coverage
January 3, 2024 Fighting the Hamas Monster on Campus (inFocus) Published by Jewish Policy Center’s inFocus magazine’s winter 2024 issue Editor’s Note: This conversation is excerpted from a panel discussion, “Enriching the U.S.-Israel Alliance by Combating Antisemitism,” at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC on October 23, 2023, even before the full weight of events was felt. Kenneth L. Marcus is the founder and chairman […] Media Coverage
January 2, 2024 Jewish group sues Berkeley for ‘longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism’ (Campus Reform) Published 12/27/23 by Campus Reform; Story by Patrick McDonald In late November, several Jewish organizations filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley, alleging a ‘longstanding, unchecked spread of anti-Semitism.’ The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in San Francisco by the Louis D. Brandeis Center and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education. […] Media Coverage
January 2, 2024 Has The Congressional Hearing on Antisemitism Woken People Up? (Jewish Press) Published 12/28/23 by JewishPress.com; Q&A by Alan Zeitlin A Q&A with Kenneth Marcus Kenneth L. Marcus is at the forefront of the battle against antisemitism in the U.S. He is the founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law which handles numerous complaints of antisemitism from Jewish college students […] Media Coverage
January 2, 2024 Rejecting Misconceptions of the Hamas-Israel War (JNS) Published by JNS on 12/29/23; Authored by The Focus Project The IDF follows specific rules of engagement to avoid civilian casualties—a challenge made almost impossible as terrorist infrastructure is embedded in and under residential buildings, schools, mosques and hospitals. More than 14 million civilians were killed during World War II, excluding the millions of Jews and others […] Media Coverage
December 26, 2023 The real philanthropy success story Published by eJewish Philanthropy 12/19/23; Opinion by Yossi Prager After the brutal events of Oct. 7 and onset of the war between Israel and Hamas, funders, organizations and individual volunteers instantaneously leaped to action from a standing start, their on-the-fly efforts saving lives and raising the morale of a nation with many reasons to mourn. […] Media Coverage
December 22, 2023 Brandeis Center ramps up lawsuits as university students face rampant antisemitism Published 12/22/23 by Ynet News; Story by Clint Van Winkle American NGO files numerous legal complaints against Ivy League universities saying their neglectful nature toward rising antisemitism cannot continue Antisemitism has been on the rise across U.S. college campuses since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war. In recent months, reports […] Media Coverage
December 18, 2023 Key Anti-Semitism Issues in the Post-10/7 Workplace (LDB webinar, 12/21/23) Register for our webinar now. Media Coverage
December 18, 2023 As antisemitism spikes on campuses, remember that colleges are also workplaces (The Hill) Op-ed authored by Brandeis Center Director of Corporate Initiatives Rory Lancman, published in The Hill on 12/18/23 The scenes of Jewish students experiencing antisemitism on college campuses are frightening. But colleges are also workplaces, and the antisemitism that Jewish staff and faculty are experiencing is no less frightening for its intensity, their inability to avoid it and their […] Media Coverage