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The Year in Review
The Brandeis Brief
January 2013
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The Brandeis Center wishes you a very happy New Year. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity which our supporters have recently shown with their end-of-year contributions. (If you're still looking to make yours, it is not too late to do so here.) In this issue, we provide our first Year in Review, describing a rather momentous year. Next, this issue assesses the recent controversy over the volume of anti-Semitism in American higher education. In addition, we happily introduce our newest board members, Rachel Lerman and Adam Feuerstein. In our last article, we describe the multi-part feature series that journalist Peter Menkin has just written about the campaign against campus anti-Semitism. Finally, we end with a new feature, the Brandeis Book Note, which reviews new books that relate to the Brandeis Center's mission. The first Book Note considers "Free Speech in Higher Education" in light of Greg Lukianoff's notable new volume, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate. |
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The Year in Review
Maybe you feel like 2012 flew right by. But if you are only one year old, it feels like it lasted a lifetime. The Louis D. Brandeis Center launched in February 2012, so we are in the latter camp. It has been a long year for us, but it has largely been a good one. To be sure, we have seen some tragedies this year. Internationally, this was the year of the Toulouse massacre, the Hungarian Jobbik party, the UCU lawsuit, the Ahmadinejad threat, the Gaza rockets, and the Mila Kunis affair. Domestically, we have seen widely publicized anti-Israel events at Harvard and Penn; notable incidents at Florida Atlantic University and Rutgers; and a nationwide wave of anti-Israel protest activity in the wake of Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense. However, we have also seen some signs of progress, including anecdotal reports that radical anti-Israel activists are toning down their anti-Semitism in response to our campaign. In November, LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus was honored on the Forward 50 listing of the "American Jews who made the most significant impact on the news in the past year." Continue here.
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How Bad Is It?
When it comes to anti-Semitism on college campuses, we can all agree on one thing: Any amount is too much. But how much is there really? On that question the consensus dissolves. One sticking point is over what counts as anti-Semitic, especially when Israel is involved. But that is only part of the debate. The subtext is that one side suspects that Jewish advocates are making too much of a few isolated incidents. The other side suspects that non-Jews (and even some Jews) are taking a serious problem too lightly. The Brandeis Center has previously argued against both positions, explaining why alarmism and quietism are both equally problematic. But that still leaves us with the fundamental question: how much campus anti-Semitism is there? Here is our assessment.
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Brandeis Center Appoints Lerman and Feuerstein to Board 
Reflecting steady expansion, this month LDB announced the expansion of its Board of Directors to include two nationally prominent professionals, Rachel Lerman and Adam Feuerstein. Ms. Lerman, a member of LDB's Legal Advisory Board, is an appellate litigation partner at Akin Gump in Los Angeles. Mr. Feuerstein, a newcomer to LDB, is a tax specialist at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, D.C., with substantial experience counseling nonprofit organizations. Kenneth Marcus commented, "Adam and Rachel are outstanding professionals, and they join us at a propitious time. We are making great progress, expanding rapidly and having a significant impact. Their skills and experience will provide us with enormous strength, especially in appellate litigation and nonprofit governance, as we ramp up our campaign against campus anti-Semitism."
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Peter Menkin Features LDB in Multi-Part Series
Over the last few months, Journalist Peter Menkin has featured LDB in a multi-part feature appearing in several popular sites, including the web site of the Church of England Newspaper. Menkin's series, which will be re-published as an e-book, includes separate articles on experts Ethan Felson (JCPA), Susan Tuchman (ZOA), Lesley Klaff (Sheffield Hallem), Deborah Lauter (ADL), and our own Kenneth L. Marcus. The Brandeis Center's work is discussed throughout the series. For example, Prof. Klaff tells Menkin in her interview that "[a]s a result of Ken Marcus's activism and his book, the OCR does now actively investigate and prosecute claims of 'hostile environment harassment' against Jewish students on campus under Title VI." |
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When students or professors challenge campus orthodoxies, administrators find a way to silence them. But when speakers take positions that are comfortable to the campus Left, administrators turn on a dime, suddenly posing as First Amendment purists.
LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus explains how university administrators can effectively resolve many freedom of Speech issues in his new review of Greg Lukianoff, "Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Life," New York: Encounter Books, 2012. Marcus' review first appeared in the Jerusalem Post a few days ago and continues here. |
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Support LDB |  |
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 info@brandeiscenter.com. |
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Can We Help You? | |
The Louis D. Brandeis Center stands ready if we can help you to combat anti-Semitism in higher education. Please contact us if you are a student or professor who needs our help. We are also available to provide technical assistance to university administrators who are interested in achieving legal compliance and best practices for eliminating campus anti-Semitism. |
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