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New Leadership at the Brandeis Center
July 2018
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June saw exciting changes for the Louis D. Brandeis Center, with the naming of Alyza D. Lewin as the Brandeis Center's newest President. Ms. Lewin's appointment follows the confirmation of her predecessor and LDB Founder, Kenneth Marcus, to the position of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. Also recently, a win for the Brandeis Center came when a U.S. federal judge allowed the lawsuit against the American Studies Association (ASA) for its academic boycott of Israel to proceed. Similarly, a UK government investigation
upheld a complaint alleging that a top accounting firm ignored payments to terrorists when it audited the Palestinian Authority. And in late June, the Brandeis Center's Aviva Vogelstein published an op-ed in
The Hill
, calling for an end to religiously-motivated bullying and harassment in schools. Also, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster took an important step towards combatting anti-Semitism by signing an anti-Semitism definition bill into law. All this and more is covered in the July edition of the Brandeis Brief.
As always, we thank you for your tax-deductible
donations
and acknowledge that without you our work could not be done.
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Alyza D. Lewin, Esq., Named Next Louis D. Brandeis Center President
Louis D. Brandeis Center
Alyza D. Lewin, Esq., has been appointed to the position of President and General Counsel of the Louis D. Brandeis Center, effective upon the departure of LDB Founder and President Kenneth L. Marcus on June 25th, 2018. Ms. Lewin previously served as LDB's Chief Operating Officer and Director of Policy. She commented, "I am honored to succeed Kenneth Marcus as President of the Brandeis Center...I look forward to continuing its successes and growth."
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Kenneth Marcus Confirmed to Head Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
William Jacobson, Legal Insurrection
Ms. Lewin's appointment follows the June 7th confirmation of LDB Founder and President Emeritus Kenneth Marcus to the position of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. In that capacity, he will lead the Civil Rights Office, which was scandalized during the Obama administration, particularly on the issue of campus due process.
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Another Win for LDB Against ASA's Illegal Boycott of Israel
Louis D. Brandeis Center
By confirming subject matter jurisdiction, a United States federal judge has again allowed the lawsuit brought by professors against the American Studies Association (ASA) for its boycott of Israeli universities and academic institutions to proceed. The court issued a memorandum opinion confirming that the professors adequately alleged potential damages of more than $75,000, as required for federal jurisdiction in this case.
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LDB's Director of Legal Initiatives, Aviva Vogelstein, recently wrote an op-ed published in The Hill. In her article, Vogelstein addresses alarming reports of religiously-motivated hate incidents in schools across the country. "With over 10,000 incidents of religious harassment and bullying in America's public schools, it is imperative Congress and the president address this long-standing problem. Religiously-motivated harassment must be combated as vigorously as all other forms of bigotry."
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South Carolina Governor Signs Anti-Semitism Definition Bill Into Law
Hannah Stanhill, Brandeis Blog
On July 6th, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed into law the state's new budget, which included an anti-Semitism definition bill. In doing so, South Carolina became the first state to officially adopt a definition of anti-Semitism into law.
This will allow South Carolina to combat anti-Semitism incidents by providing a clear standard for recognizing and classifying anti-Semitism.
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UK Government Investigation Allows Allegation That Top Accounting Firm Ignored Palestinian Authority Terrorist Payments to Proceed
Julian Kritz, Brandeis Blog
A UK government investigation has upheld a complaint that alleges top accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) ignored payments to terrorists when it audited the Palestinian Authority.
Major donors, like the United States, United Kingdom, and World Bank, rely on such audits to ensure millions of taxpayer dollars are not diverted to fund terrorism and other human rights abuses abroad. The UK government decision follows an eighteen-month investigation responding to a December 2016 complaint filed by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
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Anti-Semitism? Let's Define It First...
Bob Kellogg, One News Now
In a piece for
One News Now,
Bob Kellogg writes in support of
the new Anti-Semitism Awareness Act. The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act is intended to combat anti-Semitism on campuses across the country by requiring the U.S. Department of Education to adopt the State Department's definition of anti-Semitism. LDB President Alyza Lewin, quoted in the article, emphasizes the importance of defining anti-Semitism in order to effectively prosecute it.
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Pro-Israel Groups Pursue Criminal Aspects of Disruptions
Edwin Black, Jewish Journal
Following the disruption of a May 17, 2018 Students Supporting Israel [SSI] event at the University of California, Los Angeles, several Jewish and pro-Israel organizations considered responses based on California's criminal code, which would penalize disruptors of public meetings. University spokesman Tad Tamberg made assurances that a proper investigation of the event disruption was conducted, but UCLA police confirmed that no such investigation has taken place and that the university did not file a formal complaint.
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UCLA Students File Criminal Complaints Against Anti-Israel Disruptors
Edwin Black, Jewish Journal
Assisted by LDB and StandWithUs attorneys, students at the University of California, Los Angeles filed criminal complaints following the belligerent disruption of the May 17, 2018 Students Supporting Israel [SSI] event. At least a half-dozen students announced they would visit the UCLA police department to file formal complaints reporting criminal disruption of a meeting, as well as disturbing the peace and conspiracy. The move follows media reports that the university wasn't upholding its promise to refer the May 17 incident to prosecutors.
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Letter to President of Florida State University
Emma Enig, Brandeis Blog
LDB wrote to Florida State University (FSU) President John Thrasher, urging his administration to address numerous hateful social media postings by FSU students, targeting those who are Jewish, Israeli, or simply pro-Israel. These students, who were affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at FSU, posted blatantly anti-Semitic messages on Twitter and Facebook.
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Support LDB
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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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Alyza D. Lewin |
Can We Help You? |
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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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