This Week’s Topline

NEWS: Occidental College Agrees to Sweeping Reforms to Prevent Campus Antisemitism

In a sweeping settlement agreement in response to a federal Title VI complaint filed by ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Occidental College has agreed to take a series of steps to address and prevent antisemitism on campus. ADL hopes that this resolution will lead other colleges to take action.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Los Angeles-based college has agreed to undertake an extensive series of initiatives to repair the campus climate. The measures include considering the IHRA definition of antisemitism when reviewing complaints of antisemitic harassment and discrimination, holding campus-wide Title VI trainings for both faculty and students (which will include specific sessions on antisemitic harassment) and appointing an Associate Director of Jewish Student Life.

The agreement resolves allegations raised by ADL and the Brandeis Center in a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The complaint charged that Jewish students at Occidental encountered a “pervasive and hostile environment” that included severe antisemitic bullying, intimidation and physical threats following the Hamas massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

What’s News

EVENT: “The ‘Jew-Hunt’ Pogrom in Amsterdam and Beyond: It Could Happen Here”: Please join ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in person for this critical event in NYC — or via livestream — on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:30 PM. Award-winning New York Times columnist Bret Stephens and Jonathan look forward to sharing the insights that led to their respective op-eds (Bret Stephens’ op-ed in the NY Times; Jonathan’s op-ed in USA Today ), including what Jonathan and an ADL delegation saw and learned on the ground just a few days after the pogrom in Amsterdam. While he was there, his delegation met with the Dutch prime minister and leaders of the Jewish community as well as business leaders. Join ADL at this live event to learn more about what happened in Europe and what can be done to fight antisemitism over there and here.

Taking the Hill: In conjunction with ADL In Concert Against Hate, dozens of volunteers from ADL’s national leadership lobbied key government leaders on addressing the crisis of antisemitism on college campuses, increasing funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, supporting victims of terror and passing the Countering Antisemitism Act and Antisemitism Awareness Act. We met with a bipartisan group of leaders including FBI Director Wray, Ambassador Lipstadt, House Minority Leader Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Rep. Foxx, Sen. Cassidy and Sen. Lankford. We discussed appropriations, homeland security and education in this series of meetings, which not only will help push our agenda on the Hill during the lame duck session this year, but also help ADL continue to build relationships that will benefit our policy work and our community for years to come.

Aftermath of a Shocking Killing: The ADL Task Force on Middle East Minorities condemns the tragic murder of Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates. This horrific act underscores the urgent need to confront rising antisemitism, extremism and hatred in the Middle East. Read more from ADL about the speedy apprehension of suspects and the need for the Emirati government to ensure that those involved are brought to justice and the UAE prioritize the fight against extremism.

A Network for Jews in the Workplace: In the past year, antisemitism has surged, permeating our communities, schools and even workplaces. ADL is committed to supporting Jewish employees with education, advocacy and through our National Jewish Employee Resource Group (ERG) Network. Join our kickoff event on December 11! You’ll have the chance to connect with other Jewish employees around the country, discuss challenges, successes and more. ADL’s National Jewish ERG Network is open to ALL Jewish employees, at any company. Register for the kickoff event here.

EVENT: How Investors Can Combat Hate and Harassment in the Gaming Industry: The gaming industry is grappling with a serious issue: antisemitism, hate and harassment in online multiplayer games have become widespread, impacting the player experience and posing significant risks to players, investors and gaming companies. Please join ADL affiliate JLens and the ADL Center for Technology and Society on Thursday, December 12 to share insights into the proliferation of hate and harassment in the gaming industry and discuss what shareholders can do to tackle this issue. Register now for this free webinar.

Making Progress with ADL

Kudos to ADL’s social media team for two big awards for their work in fighting antisemitism through the “Spot Lies, Spread Facts” Holocaust education campaign that we ran this May in conjunction with Yom HaShoah and Jewish American Heritage Month. ADL’s successful campaign to lift up this important message was recognized with a Silver Anthem Award and a Shorty Award, both of which are respected marketing industry honors. Click here to dip into the ADL campaign to see how much you know about the Holocaust: hear from Holocaust survivors, learn how to stop the spread of misinformation and understand the deep impact of Holocaust education.

Social Spotlights

@ADL

We welcome the announcement of a tentative ceasefire in Israel and Lebanon. We hope this agreement will finally bring calm, safety and security to Israeli cities and towns in the North and Center of the country, and finally allow the over 60,000 Israeli residents of northern communities to return home after nearly 14 months of displacement. Thank you to the US and others for their important efforts to bring about this agreement. News Link.

@JGreenblattADL

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema fails again. After Amsterdam police failed to prevent the recent “Jew hunt,” she now says the police can’t protect a rally against antisemitism. Who’s in charge in Amsterdam, the antisemitic mob? News Link.

@ADL

Calls to ban Hillel are blatantly antisemitic. As ADL’s @SJGoodman said, these anti-Israel protestors “try to hide it behind Israel, or the ‘Zionist entity,’ but they really are targeting the center of Jewish life on campus…” News Link.

@ADL_WashDC

We’re proud to support MD legislation that will require schools to designate a Title VI coordinator. We must ensure stronger protections for Jewish students on campus. Thank you Delegate @JoeVogel_ for your leadership on this pressing initiative. News Link.

@ADL’s Incident Tracker

The @ADL_tracker feed of news and developments in antisemitism activities.

A man attacked a group of Jewish girls in London by throwing glass bottles from his balcony. A 14-year-old girl was hospitalized with head and face injuries. This is savage. This is antisemitic. The perpetrator must be identified and punished to the full extent of the law. More info.

— November 26, 2024 Read the full post

We are horrified to see masked protestors terrorizing an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, chanting “From the river to the sea”, and “Whose streets? Our streets!” Harassment and intimidation of Jewish New Yorkers — at their homes and in their neighborhoods — is unacceptable and cannot become normalized. #UnMaskHate. More info.

— November 22, 2024 Read the full post

The antisemitism, violence and chaos on the streets of Montreal over the past few days has been horrifying. We join with our Canadian partners in saying action must be taken now by government, law enforcement, and universities to reject the antisemitic intimidation and end the excuses. News Link.

— November 24, 2024 Read the full post

See more from ADL’s Incident Tracker.