Zachor Legal Institute is a legal think tank and advocacy organization that aims to combat boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel; antisemitic activities; and anti-Israel movements in the United States in the commercial, university, and government sectors. ¹

Activities

Zachor Legal Institute employs both offensive and defensive strategies to combat antisemitism and BDS initiatives. This includes preventing the spread of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) and antisemitic activities in academic institutions, government agencies, businesses, and unions, and suing individuals and organizations that are funding or participating in antisemitic and BDS activities. ²

Zachor Legal Institute collaborates with like-minded organizations in its efforts to influence both federal and state level policy. In 2022, Zachor Legal was one of 28 organizations that signed a petition to top officials at the Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice requesting that the BDS movement be monitored, investigated, and legally challenged as necessary. The petition described the BDS movement as hate groups that promote violence against Jews and claimed that the BDS movement in the U.S. has financial ties to terrorist organizations like Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Other organizations that signed this petition include Americans Fighting Antisemitism, the Endowment for Middle East Truth, and the Middle East Forum. ³

Zachor Legal Institute researches and publishes legal research related to BDS and the First Amendment. Zachor Legal also participates in court challenges supporting state laws that would prevent taxpayer funds from being used to support BDS-affiliated organizations. While working on these court proceedings, Zachor Legal found that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has a history of supporting anti-Semitism and BDS through its affiliation with the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Zachor Legal claims that it is hypocritical for the ACLU to align with BDS groups while simultaneously fighting to end discrimination against those in the LGBT, Black, and Asian communities. In its 2021 report “Not Your Parents’ American Civil Liberties Union,” Zachor Legal also found that the ACLU defended anti-Israel organizations, lobbied against state and federal anti-BDS laws, and employed staff with current or past affiliations to organizations that support BDS. ⁴

In February 2023, the Zachor Legal Institute published a report titled, “The Unseen Threat of the Mapping Project,” that discussed how online initiative The Mapping Project and its reporting of Israeli-linked entities within the state of Massachusetts posed a national security threat to the United States and Israel. The report also stems from a December 2022 meeting in which 28 organizations requested the U.S Justice Department to investigate the anti-Israeli Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement due to its potential links to terrorist groups. ^{5 6} The Institute’s report concluded that due to the budget and skill necessary to maintain such an initiative, the project, “was likely created by a state-backed element via a proxy group, private contractor, or civilian intelligence unit.” ⁷

Funding

Zachor Legal Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While Zachor Legal Institute does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles ($21,000 in 2020), ⁸ the Schwab Charitable Fund ($20,000 in 2021), ⁹ and the Merona Leadership Foundation ($12,000 in 2021). ¹⁰

People

Marc Greendorfer is the founder of Zachor Legal Institute and a founding partner of Tri Valley Law. ¹¹ Greendorfer ran as a Republican candidate for the Montana House of Representatives in 2022. ¹²

Ron Machol is the chief operating officer of Zachor Legal Institute. ¹³

1. “About Us.” Zachor Legal Institute. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://zachorlegal.org/about-us/.
2.  “About Us.” Zachor Legal Institute. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://zachorlegal.org/about-us/.
3. Machol, Ron. “Coalition of 28 Organizations Petition the Government to Investigate BDS Groups with Ties to Terror.” Zachor Legal Institute, December 14, 2022. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://www.einpresswire.com/article/606085321/coalition-of-28-organizations-petition-the-government-to-investigate-bds-groups-with-ties-to-terror
4. “Not Your Parents’ American Civil Liberties Union.” Zachor Legal Institute, July 2021. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://zachorlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Not-Your-Parents%E2%80%99-ACLU-Report-July-2021.pdf.
5. Mauro, Ryan. “Massachusetts Mapping Project Linked to Terrorists.” Capital Research Center, October 9, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/massachusetts-mapping-project-linked-to-terrorists/
6. “Special Brief: The Unseen Threat of the Mapping Project.” Zachor Legal Institute, February 2023. https://zachorlegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mapping-Project-Special-Brief.pdf
7. Mauro, Ryan. “Massachusetts Mapping Project Linked to Terrorists.” Capital Research Center, October 9, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/massachusetts-mapping-project-linked-to-terrorists/
8. Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
9. Schwab Charitable Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Part II.
10. Merona Leadership Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Schedule I, Part II.
11. “Biographies.” Zachor Legal Institute. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://zachorlegal.org/biographies/.
12. “Marc Greendorfer.” Ballotpedia. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Marc_Greendorfer.
13. “Biographies.” Zachor Legal Institute. Accessed October 5, 2023. https://zachorlegal.org/biographies/.