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Some Campuses Get Ugly After Operation Pillar of Defense
The climate towards Israel on many college campuses badly deteriorated this month. In the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense, countless anti-Israel activists staged significant anti-Israel activities, bringing the Middle East conflict to American higher education. The Israel on Campus Coalition has tracked 55 anti-Israel protests and rallies over the last couple of weeks, according to an eye-opening article by the ICC's Steve Kuperberg. This is a pattern that we have seen during prior Middle East conflicts. As the Anti-Defamation League has noted, these protesters often use extreme anti-Israel rhetoric, comparing the Jewish State to Nazi Germany or Apartheid South Africa and praising the terrorist leadership of Hamas. At the University of California at Davis, for example, anti-Israel activists occupied a university building and refused to admit students who do not support their cause. Some Jewish students are reporting that they do not feel comfortable or safe on that campus, describing extreme anti-Semitic rhetoric used by some protesters. The Louis D. Brandeis Center had cautioned university leaders about the prospect of such incidents shortly before they occurred, explaining that failure to address hostile environments could create legal liability for the schools. The Brandeis Center is now evaluating these situations and urges students, faculty, or other individuals who have information about anti-Semitic incidents to contact Brandeis Center lawyers as soon as possible. |
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Wheaton College Responds Effectively to Anti-Semitism
At Wheaton College in Massachusetts, university leaders have reponded effectively to recent anti-Semitic incidents. Earlier this month, anti-Semitic vandalism was found at Wheaton's Jewish life building. The Louis D. Brandeis Center has been in touch with Wheaton officials, community members, and Northeastern regional leadership of sister Jewish organizations. In this case, the university responded firmly and effectively to the incident, issuing a strong statement, holding an all-campus meeting, offering a reward for information about the perpetrators, and taking other measures that reflect the seriousness of anti-Semitic incidents. The Brandeis Center provided Wheaton administration with guidance on effective methods for addressing such incidents, and has praised them for their prompt and forceful actions. Members of the Wheaton community should be proud of the work that their administrators are doing to combat anti-Jewish bigotry, and other universities should look to Wheaton as an example of best practice leadership. |
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LDB President Named to Forward 50 
This month, LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus was honored by inclusion in the Jewish Daily Forward's prestigious Forward 50 listing of the "American Jews who made the most significant impact on the news in the past year." The Forward described its 50 honorees as "the new faces of Jewish power," predicting that "if Marcus has any say in it, we may witness a new era of Jewish advocacy." Marcus is honored for launching the Louis D. Brandeis Center earlier this year and for pioneering legal tools to combat discrimination against Jewish college and university students. The Forward 50 designation validates Marcus' efforts to establish the Brandeis Center as the premier institution to combat campus anti-Semitism through research, education and legal advocacy. The Forward honors Marcus as "a vocal proponent of using federal civil rights law to combat campus anti-Semitism." Although the Brandeis Center remains small, the Forward observes that "we live in a time when the tools of power and influence are not necessarily concentrated in legacy organizations but grasped by such visionary individuals."
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LDB Prepares to Launch Legal Training Initiative
In December, LDB will launch a new initiative to train attorneys nationwide on how to fight campus anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism through legal means. Our goal is to create a significant nationwide corp of lawyer who are able to join LDB in protecting the rights of Jewish students and faculty. These trainees will supplement LDB's distinguished Legal Advisory Board. On December 13, LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus will train Washington state lawyers at a Seattle Continuing Legal Education program co-sponsored with StandWithUs and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Washington state lawyers are encouraged to sign-up now. Future programs are being considered for Chicago, New York and other cities. Please contact the Brandeis Center if you are interested in working with us on training in your area. |
