Brandeis Brief – April 2021

 

Brandeis Brief: April 2021
We begin this Brief with good news from Tufts University, where courage, tenacity, and legal advocacy prevailed last month when Students for Justice in Palestine dropped its efforts to impeach Jewish student leader Max Price. We then turn to more positive developments at the University of Texas and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While the IHRA Definition continues to gain support and momentum in communities throughout the country, some critics have attempted to silence supporters of the Definition and promote dangerous alternative definitions that exclude the forms of anti-Semitism which masquerade as anti-Zionism. Also included in this Brief are LDB analyses regarding anti-Semitism in American educational systems, as well as other topics. Finally, the Brandeis Center is looking for additional legal talent to support its burgeoning caseload. Please send good, smart lawyers our way. As always, we thank you for your tax deductible donations and acknowledge that without you our work could not be done.
Campus Bullies: The Extreme Right Aren’t the Only Ones With an Anti-Semitism Problem
Jeff Robbins, Creators SyndicateA member of Tufts University’s Community Union Judiciary, Max Price, faced calls for his impeachment by the Tufts chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) for simply being Jewish. This incident highlights the growing dangers of anti-Semitism disguised as progressivism on college campuses in the United States, with Jewish students facing harassment for their Zionism.
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Courage was the Reason Campus Anti-Semites were Beaten
Jonathan S. Tobin, JNSMax Price, with the help of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, successfully fought back against the harassment campaign led by Tufts’ chapter of SJP. This demonstrates the importance of the Brandeis Center’s mission and the effectiveness of its strategy of legal intervention. Price’s experience also shows that Jewish college students must be prepared, with courage and information, to take up the fight against anti-Semitism themselves when the administration turns a blind eye.
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UIUC announces the establishment of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life in response to campus anti-Semitism.
UIUC Announces Formation of Jewish Advisory Council to Address Campus Anti-Semitism
Bayla Zohn, Brandeis Blog

This month, the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (UIUC) announced the establishment of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life. UIUC had promised to create the Council in its Joint Statement on Anti-Semitism, which the University issued in November 2020 after the Brandeis Center and others filed a federal complaint on behalf of Jewish students alleging the University has fostered a hostile environment on its campus. An investigation of the complaint by the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is pending.
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University of Texas Student Gov’t Passes IHRA Resolution
Aaron Bandler, JNSThe student government at the University of Texas at Austin has passed a resolution endorsing the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism. Although this is only a first step towards fighting anti-Semitism in all its forms, this action at another important university will pave the way for other American university administrations to adopt the IHRA definition, especially as they lag so far behind European universities in doing so.
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Addressing Anti-Semitism Within and Through the Educational Systems in the United States
Kenneth L. Marcus, INSSKenneth L. Marcus writes about how universities and other educational institutions should approach anti-Semitism on their campuses. He explains what school and university administrators should be doing to protect their Jewish students, including but not limited to adopting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. Marcus also advocates for more comprehensive and systematic anti-Semitism education at both the elementary and secondary levels of education, helping students to recognize all forms of anti-Semitism.
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Alyza Lewin on the Edwin Black Show
Samantha Crane, Brandeis BlogLDB President Alyza D. Lewin, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations went on the Edwin Black show to discuss anti-Semitism, campus hate and a general overview of where anti-Semitism stands today both on and off campus. Each one also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on anti-Semitism and the importance of understanding what anti-Semitism really is and how to effectively identify it.
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LDB Center President, Alyza Lewin On the Edwin Black Show
Anti-Semites Should Not Define Anti-Semitism
Richard L. Cravatts, Times of Israel

A few anti-Semitic academic groups critical of the IHRA Definition have provided their own alternative definitions of anti-Semitism that exclude anti-Zionism. These definitions obscure anti-Semitism on the left and allow a double standard to be applied to Israel’s behavior. Perpetrators of anti-Israel agitation seek to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination and this form of anti-Semitism must be addressed.
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Palestinian Accuses College Dems of Silencing Him for Supporting IHRA
Aaron Bandler, Jewish Journal

Bassem Eid, a Palestinian human rights activist, had his comments blocked on an Instagram post by University of Minnesota (UMN) College Democrats because he expressed support for the IHRA definition. The conflict arose due to a campus-wide referendum at UMN to adopt the IHRA definition, which ultimately passed. Instead of listening to Palestinian voices, UMN College Democrats hypocritically silenced Eid while claiming to support Palestinians.
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2021 Mayors Summit Against Anti-Semitism
Sarah Engelman and Bayla Zohn, Brandeis BlogThe first-ever Mayors Summit Against Anti-Semitism was hosted by Frankfurt am Main and the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement. Mayors and other officials from around the world participated in panels on Education and IHRA Adoption, Security and Law Enforcement, Healing in the Face of Trauma, and Interfaith and Cross-Communal Relations in the Digital Age. The event showcased the importance of international and interfaith unity in fighting against anti-Semitism. The summit was held virtually and its panels can be watched online.
Watch Here
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Politically driven show trials move from campus to culture
Kenneth L. Marcus, Washington Examiner

In this article, Kenneth L. Marcus analyzes how politically driven show trials display disregard for due process, both on university campuses and throughout our culture. Marcus shows how this applies to a wide range of problems, both in Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States.
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Kentucky Adopts IHRA Definition 
Toby Irenstein, Brandeis BlogKentucky recently joined the growing number of states adopting and advocating for the use of the IHRA definition. Although Kentucky’s does not yet have legislative power, its move towards adoption by passing a broad resolution in the house and senate condemning anti-Semitism indicates a shift in the greater governmental push towards combating anti-Semitism nationwide.
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The Brandeis Center is Hiring!

LDB is recruiting for a Staff Attorney to join its legal team in the fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, writing sample (less than 10 pages) and law school transcript to [email protected].
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The Louis D. Brandeis Center is a nonprofit organization supported by individuals, groups and foundations that share our concern about Jewish college students.  Contributions are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  To support our efforts to combat campus anti-Semitism, please contact us at [email protected]
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