This interview originally appeared on Stop Hate in Schools, who interviewed Brandeis Center attorneys Jeff Lang and Deena Margolies. Over a year ago, we had the opportunity to host a webinar with attorneys at the Brandeis Center regarding Title VI in K-12 schools. At the time we were hearing from parents and grassroots community leaders wanting to understand the Civil Rights Act and what actions schools and school districts are required to take to address harassment. As the environment for Jewish students and educators in many schools and districts has continued to deteriorate, we now regularly hear from parents and teachers who are concerned about potential retaliation and other ramifications of reporting anti-Jewish incidents and filing formal complaints. To help address these concerns and to further strengthen their efforts to defend the rights of Jewish people against unlawful discrimination, the Brandeis Center is partnering with The Louis D. Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Antisemitism. Their team is on the front line in the battle to protect Jewish students, and we’re honored to have this opportunity to learn from Jeff Lang, Senior Litigation Counsel, and Deena Margolies, Staff Attorney, about the Brandeis Center’s work and this new partnership. Stop Hate in Schools: Welcome Jeff and Deena. To get us started, for those who may not be familiar with the Brandeis Center, what’s your core mission and and how long has the Center been doing this work? Jeff Lang: The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law — or as we’re more widely known, the Brandeis Center or LDB — was founded in 2011 by Ken Marcus. Mr. Marcus served as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education for Civil Rights in two U.S. administrations, and he conceived the “Marcus Policy,” which established that federal civil rights law protects Jews and members of other faiths, such as Sikhs and Muslims, when they are targeted due to their ancestry or ethnicity. The Brandeis Center is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit organization created to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. The Brandeis Center pursues its mission through scholarship, education and training, public advocacy, and legal advocacy. Stop Hate in Schools: A critically important mission. I’m curious, has the Brandeis Center’s work or focus changed since October 7, 2023? Deena Margolies: The Brandeis Center was growing even before the October 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel. But following October 7, the Brandeis Center has significantly expanded its team to address the alarming surge of anti-Semitism. Karen Paikin Barall recently joined the Brandeis Center as Chief Policy Officer, and is leading the Brandeis Center’s expanded public policy, advocacy, and communications strategy of promoting human rights and combating discrimination. Earlier this year, the Brandeis Center launched the Center for Legal Innovation, our own in-house public interest law firm that has enabled the Brandeis Center to broaden its platform for challenging unlawful anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment, not just in educational institutions, but also , for example, in the workplace, in healthcare, in professional associations and the arts. We continue to represent clients on a pro bono basis, that is, without charge. Stop Hate in Schools: I saw the case you filed against the Nysmith School in Virginia in July. To the extent you can share, how many K-12 cases are you currently pursuing? Jeff: We work with parents, teachers, and community members across the country, and have opened investigative files on a large number of school districts and independent schools. We continue to monitor those schools, assessing the climate on an ongoing basis, and often express our concerns to the district or school administration. Resources such as Stop Hate in Schools and the incident data you collect is helpful in this process. When warranted, we may initiate a formal proceeding, either in court or with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Education or in the OCR at The Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, we have a number of active cases in court and the Office for Civil Rights, including lawsuits against Palo Alto Unified School District, Fulton County School District, Berkeley Unified School District and the Santa Ana Unified School District. The Brandeis Center filed a complaint on behalf of a Jewish family with the Office for Civil Rights in the Virginia Attorney General’s Office against Nysmith School. Stop Hate in Schools: How do clients typically find you, and how do you select which cases to pursue? Deena: Clients find us in a variety of ways. Many are already familiar with our work. Our website, has a “Get Legal Help” button that makes it easy to email our legal team. We review and respond to every email we receive. In addition, in partnership with the ADL and Hillel International, we manage the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line(CALL). CALL aims to provide free guidance and support for university and K-12 students and their families, and when warranted offers referrals to Brandeis Center attorneys to pursue legal action. We also receive referrals from various Jewish, campus, professional, and public service organizations. And because the Brandeis Center, as well as its lawyers, are recognized in the legal community for our litigation skill and results, we receive many referrals from private law firms and lawyers. Our principal mission is to provide timely assistance to people who have experienced anti-Semitism. Although we receive a lot of calls and emails, we respond to everyone who reaches out to us. While we’re known for our representation of clients in litigation, we do much more than that. For example, we answer questions and provide guidance on thorny issues, explain the legal rights of parents and students, and work with teachers on challenging anti-Semitic curricula. We follow a very disciplined process when considering whether to pursue a claim in court or in an administrative proceeding. The most important criterion is the interests of the families with whom we are working – we won’t take action without the approval of the families involved. We also consider, among other things, the strength of the legal claims, the willingness of people to be witnesses if necessary, and the likelihood of effecting meaningful change. Stop Hate in Schools: What are you hearing from parents and others about what may inhibit them from reporting anti-Jewish discrimination or harassment and pursuing legal recourse? Jeff: The actions that we file represent only the tip of a much larger problem. Many children are reluctant to report anti-Semitic discrimination or harassment, even to their parents. Children understandably are concerned with establishing or maintaining their place in a social network, and often are willing to endure or try to shrug off disparaging comments and even harassment rather than draw attention to themselves or risk being alienated. In some cases, children unfortunately decide the safer course is to hide or deny their Jewish identity altogether. Parents also worry about recrimination. We often speak with parents whose children have experienced ugly discrimination and harassment, but they too worry about being publicly associated with criticism of their school or district. We often receive calls from parents who want to report what is happening at their school, and ask for advice and guidance, but are concerned that if they are associated with a complaint of their school, their entire families’ social network may fray, or their kids may be ostracized. We explain to parents and students that under federal and state laws, a school is prohibited from retaliating against someone who complains about discrimination. But parents and students often remain concerned about potential social fallout. And families sometimes decide the best course for them is to focus on getting through that school or move to another school We understand those anxieties and never pressure families to put their name to a complaint. Our mission is to be of service to people who have experienced hate, and the last thing we want to do is cause additional stress. Stop Hate in Schools: Following on that, how does the Center protect the confidentiality of personal information? Deena: We treat the names of the people who call us, and the substance of our communications, as confidential to the fullest extent possible We generally will not disclose anyone’s name or personal information without first obtaining permission to do so. Stop Hate in Schools: You recently began partnering with the Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism. What is this purpose of this new initiative and why is it important at this time? Jeff: The Louis D. Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism is a separately incorporated nonprofit membership organization. Its mission is to defend human and civil rights secured by law, and to combat anti-Semitism through legal action. Membership is free and confidential, and open to everyone who shares in the Coalition’s mission. The Coalition is an important partner in challenging anti-Semitism in court. The Coalition has the right to pursue legal action against schools and institutions in which its members or their children are enrolled. When the Coalition elects to pursue a legal action, e.g., against a school that has tolerated harassment of Jewish students, it does so on behalf of those members whose children are enrolled in that school. In those cases, there generally is no need for individual families or students to be named plaintiffs nor even for their names to be disclosed in the complaint. Families can challenge anti-Semitism and effect real structural change while preserving some privacy. Stop Hate in Schools: I love this approach. What’s involved in joining the Coalition and what are the benefits? Deena: By joining the Coalition, members join with people of good conscience on the right side of history and take a stand against anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination. Membership is free and without obligations and can be cancelled at any time. The names of Coalition members are confidential. Stop Hate in Schools: How does the Coalition help protect individuals and families who have experienced anti-Jewish incidents and are concerned about potential retaliation? Jeff: Membership in the Coalition provides an enhanced level of confidentiality. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and assembly – and assembling as a group often is the most effective means of conveying speech. Based on those First Amendment rights, courts have recognized that membership organizations must be allowed to protect the confidentiality of its members’ identities and their internal communications, otherwise people may be discouraged from participating in organizations and their rights of speech and assembly will be chilled. In addition, as the Coalition’s outside counsel, our conversations with members of the Coalitions about matters under investigation or in litigation may be protected by the attorney-client privilege, which assures the highest degree of protection of confidentiality. We also stand by the families with whom we work, and will take action to protect them from any threats of retaliation. Stop Hate in Schools: Can membership organizations file lawsuits on behalf of their members? Does this help to protect the confidentiality of members? Deena: The Coalition generally has the legal right to file lawsuits on behalf of its members who have experienced anti-Jewish incidents. By joining the Coalition, people who have experienced hate enable the Coalition to take action on their behalf. We, as the Coalition’s outside counsel, will file an action in the Coalition’s name, without identifying anyone else’s name in the complaint. If we need to describe the specific incidences of anti-Jewish harassment, we will ask each member for permission to do so, and after we’ve drafted the description, we will speak again to the member to ensure our description is accurate and ask once more for approval to include it in the complaint. In public filings, members are referred to by pseudonym, e.g., Coalition Member No. 1. At some point in the litigation, we will have to disclose the names of witnesses in order to prove the Coalition’s claims, which we’ll only do with each person’s consent. At the same time, we’ll ask the court to enter an order that restricts disclosure of their names and other personally identifying information to the defendant and its counsel, who are forbidden from disclosing it anyone else. That way, the names of families do not appear in any public records, and while a handful of school administrators and teachers may find out the names of witnesses, no one else at the school will know. Stop Hate in Schools: Deena and Jeff, thank you again for your time and insight. Stop Hate in Schools is proud to collaborate with The Brandeis Center to support individuals who experience anti-Jewish discrimination and harassment in K-12 schools. If you or a family member has experienced anti-Jewish harm, we encourage you to join the The Louis D. Brandeis Center Coalition To Combat Anti-Semitism. September 11, 2025