FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2022 . We, the undersigned Jewish organizations, are alarmed, disappointed and troubled by the response issued yesterday by the President of the University of Vermont to the Title VI complaint filed on behalf of a number of UVM students by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish on Campus. . Simply put, President Garimella fails to condemn the existence of significant antisemitism on UVM’s campus. And instead of summoning the courage that other university leaders across the country have shown in acknowledging the problem or offering support for Jewish students who are fearful about identifying publicly as Jewish, the UVM President’s statement doubles down and refuses to take responsibility. The statement only offers inadequate excuses while failing to denounce those who have created a climate of intolerance for Jews, especially those who choose to openly express their Jewish identity through their deeply felt ancestral and ethnic connection to Israel. All the more concerning is the inference that aggrieved Jewish students should not have sought recourse through a regular legal process that exists for the very purpose of investigating civil rights complaints, including those pertaining to antisemitism. As a consequence, the concerns of antisemitism are further delegitimized. . The university has denied support to a targeted community, and, in suggesting that Jewish students need to learn how to better protect themselves, has essentially chosen to blame the victims. The students who filed the complaint raised awareness of a form of antisemitism that students at UVM have been experiencing for years, and gave a voice to students who felt unheard. Even now, the UVM President apparently has not really heard their voices of concern and anguish. . We support these Jewish students at UVM and elsewhere who have the right to openly express their identification with Israel without being shunned, marginalized and excluded from campus opportunities. Every student at UVM is entitled to a college experience free from antisemitism and all other forms of discrimination. It is time for UVM to frankly acknowledge the serious concerns that have been raised and take concrete steps to address them. . ADL AJC Alums for Campus Fairness CAMERA on Campus Chabad on Campus at the University of Vermont Club Z Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Hasbara Fellowships Hillel International ICC Israel Peace Initiative JewBelong Jewish Federations of North America Jewish National Fund – USA Jewish on Campus The Louis D Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law Simon Wiesenthal Center StandWithUs & StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department SSI ZOA
The Brandeis Center recently joined thirty Jewish and civil rights organizations in signing a letter encouraging 350 different university presidents to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. The letter, led by the Zionist Organization of America, addresses the spike in anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic acts—particularly in Europe and the United States—following Israel’s response to rocket attacks by Hamas in Gaza. It lists numerous examples, including: “In Los Angeles, a caravan of men waving Palestinian Arab flags physically attacked a group of Jewish diners outside a restaurant, shouting anti-Semitic slurs… Over a recent 10-day period, the United Kingdom saw a 438 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents, mostly related to Gaza and Israel.” The American Jewish Committee (AJC) found that nearly half of all Americans either had not heard the term anti-Semitism or could not define it. This “disturbing lack of awareness” becomes problematic in academic settings, too. A study by the University of Arkansas supports this claim. The Arkansas researchers found that despite a theoretical access to resources that teach anti-Semitism, people in educational settings often use learned information to “couch” anti-Semitic tropes in a “sophisticated and socially acceptable” manner. It is therefore the responsibility of universities, the letter argues, to provide the resources and training necessary to fight against anti-Semitism on campuses. Among other measures, the letter urges the adoption of the IHRA definition, which has already been approved by many universities and student governments, including Oxford University and Cambridge University. In response to critiques of the IHRA definition, the letter maintains: “[T]here is nothing in the definition that restricts speech. It is simply a tool for understanding how anti-Semitism can be expressed today. Knowing how to identify anti-Semitism is the first step to fighting this ugly problem.” Read the full letter here.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center For Human Rights Under Law (LDB) joined a coalition of 30 national organizations, led by the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), that sent a letter to the leaders of 165 colleges and universities, urging them to address the surge of anti-Semitism on campuses across the country. The letter describes the challenging reality that Jewish students are facing on college campuses across the country: Many Jewish students are feeling harassed, afraid to express their Jewish identity — including their support for Israel — and afraid for their emotional well- being and physical safety…. [T]he situation has worsened for Jews in the U.S. and around the world… Antisemitism on our college campuses has been equally alarming, particularly because the antisemites are finding new ways to target and persecute Jews. There are still incidents of antisemitic vandalism on campus, with mezuzahs being ripped off of students’ doors in their residence halls, and swastikas defacing campus property. In addition, Jewish students are under siege from antisemitism related to Israel and Zionism. This form of antisemitism masquerades as legitimate political discourse, but in fact, it is yet another expression of Jew-hatred, causing Jewish students to feel harassed, threatened and even afraid for their safety. The letter explicitly cites egregious examples of anti-Semitism that occurred at New York University, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma City University, and reminds the universities of their legal obligations to protect Jewish students under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Executive Order on Combatting Anti-Semitism. The letter describes a disturbing example, where anti-Semitism was tolerated at an academic conference about Gaza in 2019 that was co-sponsored by Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: [The conference] blatantly targeted Jews. The conference featured a rapper who announced to the audience that he was going to sing “my antisemitic song” and encouraged the audience to join in. Urging them to “think of Mel Gibson – go that antisemitic – I cannot be antisemitic alone,” the rapper sang the refrain, “Oh, I’m in love with a Jew.” The audience – which presumably included university staff, students, faculty and “scholars” – sang along, laughing. The letter further recommends that universities take specific steps to ameliorate hostility towards Jewish students on campus. These recommendations include: responding promptly to anti-Semitic incidents by issuing public condemnations of anti-Semitism; utilizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism to educate the university community about different forms of anti-Semitism; and mandating training on anti-Semitism for all students and university staff that uses the IHRA definition as a guide for understanding the many manifestations of anti-Semitism. The Brandeis Center is pleased to support this timely initiative, spearheaded by the ZOA, along with other organizations that are engaged in the critical effort to combat anti-Semitism at institutions of higher learning. Read the press release here
The Louis D. Brandeis Center was pleased to sign on to the following letter, signed by over 100 organizations and organized by the AMCHA Initiative, commending Pitzer College President Melvin Oliver for his strong stance against an attempted academic boycott of Israel on Pitzer’s campus. The boycott, which sought to suspend Pitzer College’s study abroad program in Haifa, was approved by the Pitzer College Council before President Oliver refused to give his required approval. President Oliver stated that resolutions like the one proposed on Pitzer’s campus “curtail the academic freedom of those students who wish to study [in Israel]. Among Pitzer’s core values is the promotion of intercultural understanding.” President Oliver went on to state that study abroad programs in Israel provide Pitzer’s students with the opportunity to “reach their own conclusions about some of the world’s most vexing challenges through on-the-ground, face-to-face, people-to-people experience.” The entire text of the letter can be found below. Dear President Oliver, Our organizations heartily applaud you for your courageous leadership in vetoing the College Council’s vote to shut down Pitzer’s study abroad program at the University of Haifa. Your staunch defense of the academic freedom and educational opportunities of Pitzer students and faculty in the face of an academic boycott of Israel is exemplary. We hope that your outstanding statement affirming Pitzer’s commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and the fostering of intercultural understanding and acknowledging that academic BDS undermines that commitment will serve as a model for university presidents across the country.Thank you again for your strong moral leadership, Academic Council for Israel Academic Engagement Network Aggies for Israel Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi) Alums for Campus Fairness – National Alums for Campus Fairness – UC Davis Alums for Campus Fairness – UCLA Alums for Campus Fairness – University of Michigan AMCHA Initiative America Israel Cooperative Enterprise American Council of Trustees and Alumni American Institute for Jewish Research American Jewish Congress American Society of the University of Haifa American Truth Project American Values American Zionist Movement Americans Fighting Antisemitism Americans for a Safe Israel Americans for Peace and Tolerance B’nai B’rith International BEAR: Bias Education, Advocacy & Resources Binghamton University Zionist Organization (BUZO) Bobcats for Israel at Ohio University Boston Israel Action Committee Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law Bulldogs for Israel (Brooklyn College) California Association of Scholars Campus Anti-Semitism Task Force of the North Shore Christians and Jews United for Israel Club Z Coalition for Jewish Values Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) Creative Community for Peace CUFI on Campus Dartmouth Students for Israel Davis Faculty for Israel Eagles Wings Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME) Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors Hasbara Fellowships Hillel of Silicon Valley Hillels of Northern Nevada Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel Iranian American Jewish Federation Iranian Jewish Women’s Organization Israel in NYC Israel Matters Israel on Campus Coalition Israeli-American Civic Action Network Israeli-American Civic Education Institute Ithaca Area United Jewish Community JAM Jewish American Affairs Committee of Indiana Jewish War Veterans of the USA Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA) Mercaz USA Merrick-Bellmore Jewish Community Council Middle East Forum Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN) National Conference on Jewish Affairs National Council of Young Israel Nazareth College Hillel NCSY NH4Israel North Carolina Coalition for Israel North Carolina Hillel Northeastern Hillel Proclaiming Justice to the Nations Rabbinical Alliance of America Rhode Island Coalition for Israel Russian Jewish Community Foundation Santa Barbara Hillel Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Simon Wiesenthal Center Slugs for Israel (University of California Santa Cruz) StandWithUs StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department Stop BDS on Campus Students and Parents Against Campus Anti-Semitism Students Supporting Israel at City College of New York Students Supporting Israel at Columbia Students Supporting Israel at Drake University Students Supporting Israel at San Jose State University Students Supporting Israel at UCLA Students Supporting Israel at University of Minnesota Students Supporting Israel at Wake Forest University Students Supporting Israel National Swarthmore Alums Against Antisemitism on Campus Swarthmore Students for Israel The Hillels of Israel The Israel Christian Nexus The Israel Group The Israel Project The Lawfare Project Tufts Friends of Israel University of New Mexico Hillel WoMen Fight Antisemitism World Jewish Congress, American Section Young Jewish Conservatives Zionist Organization of America ZOA’s Fuel for Truth
On November 6th, the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise released a statement condemning the BDS movement. The statement contained 92 signatures from across the spectrum of Jewish organizations in the United States, including the Louis D. Brandeis Center. The different organizations represent a diverse political and religious group of organizations, all brought together in the fight against the bigoted aims of the BDS movement. We are proud to stand with these others organizations against this insidious form of hatred, and will continue to lead the legal fight against BDS on American university campuses. The full text of the statement can be found below: Believing that academic, cultural and commercial boycotts, divestments and sanctions of Israel are: Counterproductive to the goal of peace, Antithetical to freedom of speech, Part of a greater effort to undermine the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their homeland, Israel. We, the undersigned members of the Jewish community, stand united in our condemnation of calls and campaigns for boycotting, divestment and sanctions of Israeli academic institutions, professors, products and companies that do business with Israel. We recognize and accept that individuals and groups may have legitimate criticism of Israeli policies. Criticism becomes anti-Semitism, however, when it demonizes Israel or its leaders, denies Israel the right to defend its citizens or seeks to denigrate Israel’s right to exist. The BDS movement is antithetical to principles of academic freedom and discourages freedom of speech. The movement silences voices from across the Israeli political spectrum. By pursuing delegitimization campaigns on campus, proponents have provoked deep divisions among students and have created an atmosphere of intolerance and hatred. We oppose the extremist rhetoric of the delegitimization movement and reject calls for boycotting, divestment or sanctions against Israel. We call upon students, faculty, administrators and other campus stakeholders to uphold the academic and democratic values of a free and civil discourse that promotes peace and tolerance. Prof. Mervin Verbit / Prof. Samuel Edelman Academic Council for Israel Rabbi Steven Burg Aish HaTorah Andy Borans Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity Dr. Mitchell Bard American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) Gerald Platt American Friends of Likud Howard Kohr The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) David Harris American Jewish Committee (AJC) Herbert Block American Zionist Movement (AZM) Charles Jacobs Americans for Peace and Tolerance Andrew Goldsmith AMIT Jonathan Greenblatt Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Dr. Colin Rubenstein / Jeremy Jones Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Howard Libit Baltimore Jewish Council W. James Schiller Baltimore Zionist District Matthew Grossman BBYO, Inc. Daniel Citone B’nai B’rith Europe Daniel S. Mariaschin B’nai B’rith International Stephen Savitsky / George W Schaeffer / Cheryl Bier Bnai Zion Foundation Jonathan Arkush The Board of Deputies of British Jews Fred Taub Boycott Watch Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro The Cantors Assembly Shimon Koffler Fogel The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) Malcolm Hoenlein Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations Phillip Brodsky The David Project Gunnar Bjork Denmark Lodge, B’nai B’rith Naomi Mestrum Dutch Centre for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) Mindy Stein Emunah of America Anton Block Executive Council of Australia Akiva Tendler The Fellowship for Campus Safety and Integrity John.D.A Levy Friends of Israel Educational Foundation Academic Study Group Ellen Hershkin Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Elliot Mathias Hasbara Fellowships Arlene & Sheldon Bearman The Herbert Bearman Foundation Mark Hetfield HIAS Eric Fingerhut Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Adv. Irit Kohn The International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Ethan Felson / Geri Palast Israel Action Network Jacob Baime Israel on Campus Coalition Josh Block The Israel Project (TIP) Adam Milstein / Shoham Nicolet Israeli-American Council Shawn Evenhaim Israeli-American Coalition for Action Doron Krakow JCC Association Jenn Ross JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg Caroline L. Good JCRC/Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans Alan Hoffmann Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) David Hatchwell Jewish Community of Madrid (CJM) Elana Kahn Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation Michael S. Miller Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Ben Friedman Jewish Community Relations Council of Orlando David Bernstein Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) Jerry Silverman The Jewish Federations of North America Michael Makovsky Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) Simon Johnson Jewish Leadership Council Russell F. Robinson Jewish National Fund (JNF) Henia Vrazda and Board Coordination Committee (Denmark) Dov H. Maimon Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Lori Weinstein Jewish Women International (JWI) Yael Mosesson / Nina Tojzner Jewish Youth Organization in Sweden Ron Klein Jews for Progress/National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) Kenneth L. Marcus The Louis D. Brandeis Center For Human Rights Under Law Ron Carner Maccabi USA/Sports For Israel Meara Razon Ashtivker Masa Israel Journey Marilyn L Wind / Sarrae G Crane MERCAZ USA Chellie Goldwater Wilensky NA’AMAT USA Ram Shefa National Union of Israeli Students Farley Weiss National Council of Young Israel Rabbi Micah Greenland NCSY Susan Z. Kasper / Harry Hauser North American Association of Synagogue Executives (NAASE) Gerald M. Steinberg NGO Monitor Allen I. Fagin Orthodox Union (OU) Tzvi Avisar Over the rainbow–the Zionist movement (OTR) Rabbi Julie Schonfeld Rabbinical Assembly Jacob Sternberg Realize Israel Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner Religious Action Center Rabbi Gideon Shloush Religious Zionists of America/Mizrachi Matt Brooks Republican Jewish Committee (RJC) Eran Shayshon Reut: The Reut Group: From Vision to Reality Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin The Schechter Institutes, INC., Jerusalem Asaf Romirowsky Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) Andy Huston Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity Rabbi Marvin Hier/ Rabbi Abraham Cooper Simon Wiesenthal Center Barbara Pontecorvo Solomon-Osservatorio sulle Discriminazioni (Italy) Ben Swartz / Mark Hyman South African Friends of Israel Wendy Kahn South African Jewish Board of Deputies Ben Swartz South African Zionist Federation Roz Rothstein StandWithUs Ilan Sinelnikov Students Supporting Israel (SSI) Jonathan Turner UK Lawyers for Israel Josh Holt Union of Jewish Students (UJS – UK) Rabbi Rick Jacobs Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Luke Akehurst We Believe in Israel Dorrit Raiter WIZO Denmark Carol S. Simon Women’s League for Conservative Judaism Rabbi Marla J. Feldman Women of Reform Judaism Betty Ehrenberg World Jewish Congress, North America Yosef Tarshish World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) Rabbi Shmuley Boteach The World Values Network Laurence A. Bolotin Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity Paul Charney Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom and Ireland Morton A. Klein Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)