The Brandeis Brief: April 2025

In a time of rising anti-Semitism across the United States, the Brandeis Center continues to take a strong stand against discrimination and harassment targeting Jewish individuals and communities. From Alyza Lewin’s powerful testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee to newly filed federal complaints and legal actions, the Brandeis Center is actively working to hold institutions accountable and ensure protections for Jewish students and citizens. This update highlights key developments, including investigations into civil rights violations, the Department of Education’s evolving role, and a troubling case of anti-Semitic discrimination at an Oakland café. Read on for more details on these critical efforts to combat anti-Semitism. 

In this issue: 

Investigations Opened into Federal Anti-Semitism Complaints, New Complaints Filed

The Brandeis Center filed three federal complaints with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against California State Polytechnic, Scripps College, and California’s Etiwanda School district alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

“The law and federal government recognize Jews share a common faith and they are a people with a shared history and heritage rooted in the land of Israel. Schools that continue to ignore either aspect of Jewish identity are becoming dangerous breeding grounds for escalating anti-Jewish bigotry, and they must be held accountable,” said Chairman Kenneth Marcus.

Later in the month, OCR announced it is opening investigations into complaints filed by the Brandeis Center against five schools: Yale University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Scripps College, American University, and the Fulton County School District.

Denise Katz-Prober, director of legal initiatives at the Brandeis Center, commented that “the opening of these investigations does signal that… OCR [is] being active and forceful in addressing the anti-Semitism that’s plaguing so many campuses,” especially in contrast to the backlog of “languishing” Title VI complaints during the Biden administration.

 

Brandeis Center Blocks ALAA From Expelling Jewish and Allied Members Who Stood Up For Israel 

In response to legal action taken by the Brandeis Center, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Public Review Board ruled the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) cannot expel four Nassau County Legal Aid attorneys who opposed the ALAA’s virulently anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas resolution. 

The UAW Public Review Board is an outside body established under the UAW constitution to be the final word in interpreting and enforcing the UAW’s constitution. The ALAA (UAW Local 2325) is based in New York. 

Parallel to appealing the ALAA’s expulsion efforts within the UAW’s constitutional process, the Brandeis Center is representing three of the Legal Aid attorneys in a federal lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York. 

“Many ALAA members found the October 7 massacre of Jews exhilarating; they should find this rebuke from the UAW’s own outside review board sobering,” said Hon. Rory Lancman, the Brandeis Center’s Senior Counsel said in a statement. 

Chairman Kenneth Marcus added, “our federal lawsuit details how it is illegal to expel members who stand up for what’s right and oppose anti-Semitism in their union, and now the UAW’s own outside monitor has said that doing so violates the UAW’s own constitution. The board’s ruling is a major victory for union democracy, and, of course, a defeat for anti-Semitism. The Brandeis Center will defend victims of anti-Semitism wherever they are – on campuses, in public schools, in workplaces, or in unions.”

Following the announcement, the U.S. House Committee on Education & Workforce hailed the Brandeis Center’s efforts as a win for justice.

Despite Changes with Dept of Education, Efforts to Combat Anti-Semitism Remain Strong 

After President Trump officially signed an executive order eliminating the Department of Education, Kenneth

Marcus noted in JNS that “even with a reduced footprint, the U.S. Department of Education is clearly capable of handling anti-Semitism more effectively than it has in the past.” 

The move comes amidst significant pressure from the administration on universities, including recent announcements of the revocation of federal grants and threats of further funding cuts at Columbia unless they implement substantial reforms. In response to the announcements at Columbia, Marcus told the Washington Post, “this is the toughest stance we’ve seen from the federal government toward campus anti-Semitism ever… [it’s] simply unbelievable.” We are seeing the Trump administration “moving faster and punching harder” to effect change, Mr. Marcus told AP News, sending strong warning signals to schools around the country.

 

Alyza Lewin Testifies at Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing 

On March 5, Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin testified at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing, “Never to be Silent: Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in America,”the first convened specifically to address anti-Semitism since the terror attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. 

In her opening testimony, Ms. Lewin emphasized, “what’s taking place on campus is not a good faith political debate. It is the vilification of Jews.” She highlighted how Jewish students across the country are being harassed, excluded, and targeted simply for expressing their Jewish identity, which for many Jews includes their ancestral connection to the land of Israel. Lewin stressed that universities must be held accountable for allowing environments where Jewish students feel unsafe, calling for stronger enforcement of protections and institutional consequences for schools that fail to act. Read more about her testimony in this blog post and watch her full opening testimony here: 

Erasive Anti-Semitism at Dickinson College 

In a powerful address at Dickinson College, Alyza Lewin explored the phenomenon of erasive anti-Semitism and how, to address it, we must first understand Jewish identity and how anti-Semitism works. 

“Today, Jews who define their identity as part of a people with a shared history and heritage rooted in the land of Israel, are often demonized as “Zionists,” treated as pariahs, and told that they are not welcome. 

It’s not possible to separate the ancestral history and heritage of the Jewish people from the land of Israel. Israel is where the identity of the Jewish people was cemented. To be a Zionist means you recognize and celebrate the Jewish people’s connection to one another — and the Jewish people’s deep-rooted tie to the land of Israel.”

Read the address in JNS here, or watch it below:

Man Kicked Out of Oakland Café for Being Jewish Sues Owner 

The Brandeis Center filed a lawsuit against the Jerusalem Coffee House on behalf of its client, a man who was ejected, along with his five-year-old son, because he is Jewish. This is the first lawsuit brought by the Brandeis Center’s recently launched Center for Legal Innovation.

Video footage shows the owner of the coffee shop verbally attacking the plaintiff, ordering him to leave for wearing a “violent hat,” which depicted a white Jewish Star. In a statement, Senior Counsel Omer Wiczyk said, “we look forward to educating the Defendants — and anyone that shares their distorted views — in a court of law. In the United States of America, a business cannot refuse to serve someone because they are Jewish… the fact that this needs to be said in 2025 is a frightening reminder of the growing anti-Semitism that far too many have experienced in recent years.”