The Brandeis Center had a very active start to 2023, pushing back against anti-Semitism. Chairman Marcus’s op-ed “Will President Biden Follow Through on His Pledge to Combat Anti-Semitism?” ricocheted through Jewish media sources. When the Dept. of Education answered with another delay of anti-Semitism guidelines, causing much confusion, Chairman Marcus identified “the Biden administration’s first public embrace of IHRA within a domestic context.” And our new corporate initiative continued to Shine A Light on anti-Semitism – with two new webinars tackling issues of workplace and erasive anti-Semitism.
.Chairman Marcus Asks: ‘Will President Biden Follow Through on His Pledge to Combat Anti-Semitism?’
As Chanukah came and went – without the gift of the Biden administration’s long-delayed federal regulation on combating anti-Semitism, Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus publicly asked in Jewish Journal: “Will President Biden Follow Through on His Pledge to Combat Anti-Semitism?”
Many Jewish American organizations are paying attention, as “The stakes are high. President Biden has correctly identified the seriousness of confronting anti-Semitism.” Now his administration needs to deliver a strong regulation to ensure in his words, that ‘Evil will not win,’ and ‘Hate will not prevail.’”
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Marcus Alone Identifies Breakthrough in Otherwise Disappointing Ed. Dept. Remarks
One week after Chairman Marcus’s op-ed was published, the current head of the Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced that the Department would again delay the release of crucial anti-Semitism guidelines.
Some groups who are critical of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism gloated about the delay and created confusion about the Department’s commitment to confronting anti-Semitism. Marcus alone clarified the issue by identifying “a significant breakthrough…in the Biden administration’s first public embrace of IHRA within a domestic context.” The OCR’s Assistant Secretary Catherine E. Lhamon wrote that the Biden administration “affirms OCR’s commitment to complying with Executive Order 13899 on Combating Antisemitism.”
.Alyza D. Lewin Discusses Ben & Jerry’s and Campus Anti-Semitism on Zev Brenner Program
On his program “Talkline,” Zev Brenner interviewed Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin about the organization’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism.
Lewin discussed the December announcement that litigation between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s independent board had been resolved – preserving the Brandeis Center-helmed agreement that prevented an unlawful boycott of Israel.
She also discussed how Jewish students on campus are increasingly feeling pressured to hide or shed the Zionist component of their Jewish identity in order to fully participate in campus life – and how the Brandeis Center provides legal guidance to these students empowering them to combat campus anti-Semitism.
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Click the video to watch President Lewin’s interview.
.Denise Katz-Prober Discusses Title VI at AEN Faculty Conference
In January, we hosted two additional webinars as part of our commitment to Shine A Light, as well as our corporate initiative:
“Anti-Semitism in the Workplace” featured Holly Huffnagle, Jonathan A. Segal and Craig E. Leen in a discussion about the types of anti-Semitism employees face at work and best practices for companies to combat anti-Semitism, as well as anti-discrimination legal protections for employees and pertinent issues for government contractors.
“Holocaust Denial and Erasive Anti-Semitism” featured Yfat Barak-Cheney, Ben M. Freeman and the Brandeis Center’s Arthur R. Traldi for an in-depth conversation about Holocaust denial and distortion, erasive anti-Semitism, and related legal issues.
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Click the video to watch our webinar.
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Brandeis Center’s Spotlight on Botched FBI Report Continues
“It is hard to imagine that a failure of this scope would escape the notice of congressional oversight staff,” declared Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus. “If DOJ and the FBI do not fix this problem…by providing corrected and complete data to the public, we should not be surprised if Congress should get involved.”
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Marcus’s ‘Berkeley Develops Jewish-Free Zones’ Op-Ed Makes Year-End List
Credited by the New York Times in December for sparking national attention on the issue of anti-Semitism at Berkeley Law School, Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus’s op-ed “Berkeley Develops Jewish-Free Zones” was declared one of “the big debates of 2022” by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
“Faculty, politicians and activists weighed in on both sides of what has become a central debate on campuses and beyond: When does anti-Zionism become antisemitism, and how do you balance free speech rights against the claims by some students that their personal safety hangs in the balance?”
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Brandeis Center Survey Still Resonates Two Years Later
“A 2021 poll from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law shows college students with a strong sense of Jewish identity and connection to Israel have learnt that to avoid antisemitism they must view their religion as something to hide, not celebrate. According to the Brandeis Center: ‘Nearly 70% of the students surveyed personally experienced or were familiar with an anti-Semitic attack in the previous 120 days. More than 65% of these students have felt unsafe on campus due to physical or verbal attacks, with one in 10 reporting they have feared they themselves would be physically attacked. And roughly 50% of students have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.’”
Marcus Paper Cited by National Jewish Advocacy Center in Newsweek
Writing in Newsweek about a federal anti-Semitism complaint filed against George Washington University, the director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center cited an academic paper written by Brandeis Center Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus, “Academic Freedom and Political Indoctrination:”
“As former Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Kenneth Marcus has explained, there is a difference between a professor sharing his personal opinion versus presenting that opinion as incontrovertible fact.”
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Brandeis Center Hires Civil Rights Legal Fellow Deena Margolies
Margolies joins the Brandeis Center’s Legal Initiatives team and will assist with the organization’s legal advocacy efforts to confront anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses.
“Even as Brandeis Center staff enlarges our focus into workplaces and corporate policies, the need to root out anti-Semitism from classrooms and campus groups shows no signs of slowing down,” stated Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin. “Deena’s passion for our work, sensitivity to the needs of our clients, and attention to detail, which she brings to her role at the Brandeis Center, will strengthen our already stellar team. Working with Director of Legal Initiatives Denise Katz-Prober, Senior Counsel Arthur R. Traldi, and Staff Attorney Ben Alkon, Deena’s addition expands our capacity and enables the Brandeis Center to better meet the growing demand for our services.”
Margolies previously worked for two FCC Commissioners. She is a graduate of Northwestern School of Law, with a Business Association Concentration from the Kellogg School of Management. Margolies also holds an LLM from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Intellectual Property Law. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.
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New Blogs from Brandeis Center Fellows and Interns
Two other JIGSAW Fellows authored timely blogs about highly-anticipated SCOTUS cases. Joel Taubman’s piece, “Supreme Court Takes Case Addressing Protections for Religion at Work,” covers the case Groff v. DeJoy. Brandeis Center Fall 2022 Intern Josh Feinstein’s new blog addresses a related topic, our December webinar, “Religious Accommodations in the Corporate Workplace.” And JIGSAW Fellow Yossi Abadi’s blog, “Supreme Court Grapples with the Anti-Semitic History of College Admissions,” examines the cases SFFA v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina – including the Brandeis Center’s amicus brief filed on behalf of both cases.
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]
As Chanukah came and went – without the gift of the Biden administration’s long-delayed federal regulation on combating anti-Semitism, 
Some groups who are critical of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism gloated about the delay and created confusion about the Department’s commitment to confronting anti-Semitism. Marcus alone 
“Faculty, politicians and activists weighed in on both sides of what has become a central debate on campuses and beyond: When does anti-Zionism become antisemitism, and how do you balance free speech rights against the claims by some students that their personal safety hangs in the balance?”
“A 2021 poll from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law shows college students with a strong sense of Jewish identity and connection to Israel have learnt that to avoid antisemitism they must view their religion as something to hide, not celebrate. According to the Brandeis Center: ‘Nearly 70% of the students surveyed personally experienced or were familiar with an anti-Semitic attack in the previous 120 days. More than 65% of these students have felt unsafe on campus due to physical or verbal attacks, with one in 10 reporting they have feared they themselves would be physically attacked. And roughly 50% of students have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.’”
Margolies joins the Brandeis Center’s Legal Initiatives team and will assist with the organization’s legal advocacy efforts to confront anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses.
Two other JIGSAW Fellows authored timely blogs about highly-anticipated SCOTUS cases. Joel Taubman’s piece, “
