(Courtesy of OU) Last week, more than 125 Jewish attorneys from across the country gathered at the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center’s (OUA) inaugural Attorneys Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. to strategize on how to defeat antisemitism.
The OU Advocacy Center decided to convene this unprecedented gathering in response to the unprecedented wave of antisemitism the community has been grappling with since the terrible events of Oct. 7, 2023.
The goal of the conference was to learn from experts and brainstorm new and creative ways to use America’s legal system to combat the world’s oldest hatred.
The conference kicked off Sunday evening with a keynote address by David Schizer, the former dean of Columbia Law School and a co-chair of Columbia University’s Task Force on Antisemitism. Columbia has been a hotbed of antisemitic protests and encampments. Just a few weeks ago, pro-Hamas students stormed an Israeli history class to pass out flyers with violent imagery.
Monday’s sessions consisted of panels of leading lawyers from across the profession. One panel featured a trio of prominent federal judges – Hon. Matthew Solomson (Court of Federal Claims), Hon. Robert Luck (Court of Appeals), and Hon. Robert Scola (District of Florida). Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Congressman Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) spoke together from the legislative perspective.
Another panel included attorneys leading key lawsuits against antisemitism, featuring Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin, Pepperdine Law School Professor Avi Helfand, and Baruch Weiss of Arnold & Porter. Yet another session was focused on the experience of lawyers serving as in-house counsels at major American corporations. Finally, Hon. Paul Clement, former solicitor general of the U.S. and a lead attorney in the Jewish students’ lawsuit against UCLA, delivered a keynote address at Monday evening’s dinner.
“The OUA conference brought together an extraordinary group of lawyers, judges, politicians and academics—all committed to identifying ways to respond to growing antisemitism in the United States,” Pepperdine’s Avi Helfand said. “While the challenges remain daunting, the conference’s high energy and thoughtful discussion really provided optimism for where we go from here. I couldn’t be more proud of Pepperdine Law School’s Nootbaar Institute for having co-sponsored this one-of-a-kind event.”
Congressman Dan Goldman thanked OUA’s executive director, Nathan Diament, for organizing the conference and fighting for the Jewish community. “You are very lucky to have Nathan…. He’s a terrific, very practical, pragmatic, thoughtful, real partner in all of this.” Rep. Goldman and Sen. Graham mentioned some of the legislation they are working on—like forcing universities to disclose foreign contributions and their underlying agreements with foreign donors.
Attendees also heard from lawyers who are on the frontlines of the antisemitism fight, steeped in active cases against Harvard University, UCLA and others. A debate emerged over the best legal strategies to pursue in these cases, with Alyza Lewin stressing the danger of relying on arguments based only upon Jews as a religious community.
“Cut it out when you try to suggest that we’re not a people, that we have no history in the land of Israel,” Lewin said. “That is what today is being called ‘erasive antisemitism.’ And we must talk about this every opportunity we get. We must make sure that nobody—nobody, nobody—defines our identity by trying to pigeonhole us as just the faith, and forcing us to give up our pride in our ancestral Jewish and ethnic heritage.”
The conference concluded with breakout sessions to brainstorm new avenues for tackling antisemitism—in court, on Capitol Hill, in schools and in the corporate space. Many lawyers expressed a desire to volunteer on cases and be part of this growing movement.
“It was inspiring to connect with so many accomplished and thoughtful lawyers leading the way in legal advocacy for the Jewish community and to brainstorm other ways to get involved and support this important effort,” said Julie Rapoport Schenker, a deputy general counsel for a DC-based trade association.
“We are truly thankful and inspired by the number of attendees and their responses,” said Diament. “Members of our community are eager to get involved; they just need help being pointed in the right direction. One thing is certain: The antisemites stand no chance against a united Jewish community.”
The event was sponsored by well-known companies and institutions, including Arnold & Porter, Deloitte, Gibson Dunn, Kroll, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Sullivan & Cromwell, Teach Coalition, and Weil Gotshal. Generous individual sponsors enabled law students from Harvard, Yale and Georgetown Law Schools to attend the conference.
