These important videos exemplify the work of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. The videos, which also provide contemporary examples of anti-Semitism, can be used as excellent resources to educate and combat anti-Semitism occurring across campuses nationwide. 

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Classic 2014 Overview

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In this classic documentary-style video produced by the filmmaker Gloria Greenfield, Brandeis Center Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus and President Alyza D. Lewin discuss how universities have been a growth plate for anti-Semitism, especially as it refers to the Palestine-Israel conflict. With footage from the field, it is evident how anti-Semitism on campuses is often disguised as anti-Zionism and that the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement can make Jewish and Israeli students uncomfortable sharing their identity and beliefs. Law has been instrumental in addressing discrimination and fighting for civil rights and against anti-Semitism.  

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This video highlights Brandeis Center’s three-pronged approach for fighting campus anti-Semitism: research (identifying the problem), educate (understanding the nature and severity of anti-Semitism on college campuses) and advocate (legal advocacy).  

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2022 Overview

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In this Combat Anti-Semitism Movement #MeetOur Partner video, Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin explains the organization’s mission – and its focus on college campuses. Too often on college campuses, administrators mistake anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination for a political debate. 

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Lewin explains how the Brandeis Center equips students to articulate the harassment and discrimination accurately – and enables university administrators to recognize it. 

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Jewish students are often excluded from campus spaces due to their Zionist identity. The Brandeis Center serves as a resource for college students to advocate for their legal rights against discrimination on campus.  

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Alyza Lewin speaking at U.S. Justice Department ‘Summit on Combatting Anti-Semitism’, July 15, 2019

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On July 15, 2019, President Lewin was invited to speak at the ‘Summit on Combatting Anti-Semitism’ by the U.S. Department of Justice. Her compelling remarks emphasized how Zionism is an integral part of Jewish identity and how opposing Zionism is a form of anti-Semitism that many people do not recognize as such. She recapped the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA) and explained why it has become such a vital tool for America’s Jewish community – particularly on college campuses.

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Brandeis Center Founder and Chairman, Kenneth L. Marcus, Addressing Anti-Semitism in Higher Education: Educational and Legal Approaches

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At the Academic Engagement Network’s 2022 National Conference, LDB Founder and Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus explained how on many college campuses, we see aspects of Jewish conspiracy theory with respect to Israel – and more broadly with respect to Jewish participation in a system of white supremacy. He also noted that anti-Semitic trends today include erasure, anti-normalization and individual targeting.

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Jewish individuals are often being harmed particularly by the very programs intended to address hate or bias and success ultimately depends on fixing these programs to include Jews.

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US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Webinar ( + two highlights from webinar)

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This January 2022 webinar on anti-Semitism in the workplace was moderated by Chairman Marcus. He discussed how the Brandeis Center brought to light anti-Semitic incidents appearing in institutions, such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, even though those institutions are intended to address hate and bias. Thus, it is critical that the DEI programs exhibiting such discrimination be redesigned. 

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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioners Andrea Lucas and Keith Sonderling stressed how anti-Semitism must be explicitly addressed in anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, and diversity trainings. They also pointed out how incidents like the Stanford DEI allegations are deeply troubling and that awareness and education about anti-Semitism in the workplace are key to prevention.  

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President Lewin and Brandeis Center Director of Legal Initiatives, Denise Katz-Prober, joined for discussion in the latter half of the webinar. Their discussion emphasized the federal laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, that prohibit workplace discrimination – and how policies and trainings should be carefully audited, making sure they encourage diversity and inclusion are truly inclusive for everyone.

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The Legal Battle Against Campus Anti-Semitism: Webinar Overview of the Brandeis Center’s Work 

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This 2021 webinar describing the legal battle against campus anti-Semitism and the work of the Brandeis Center was part of the Center’s Summer Speaker Series. 

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Brandeis Center Vice Chair and General Counsel L. Rachel Lerman moderated this discussion. President Lewin began the webinar by clarifying how anti-Semitism manifests on campus today, often masked as anti-Zionism. Chairman Marcus discussed the ways in which civil rights law can be utilized to combat anti-Semitism. Director of Legal Initiatives Denise Katz-Prober added how the Brandeis Center has an array of legal tools to combat anti-Semitism across American higher education – and the many cases across campuses LDB has worked on (including USC, Tufts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Stanford). 

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