StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism is a project of StandWithUs, a Los Angeles-based pro-Israel education organization that challenges what it claims is misinformation targeting Israel and fights against antisemitism. 1
The StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism says it addresses the continued rise of antisemitism through education and responsive action, which includes taking legal action. 2
Background
The StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism is a project of StandWithUs, a Los Angeles-based pro-Israel education organization that challenges what it claims is misinformation targeting Israel and fights against antisemitism. 1
StandWithUs launched the Center for Combating Antisemitism (CCA) in July 2019. 1
In a press release, the CCA says antisemitism that has long been a problem on the far-right, on the far-left, and among Islamist extremists is seeping into the mainstream, and is on the rise in the United States and Europe. 1
The CCA says it works with a large network of pro bono attorneys who represent American victims of antisemitic discrimination. 1
Carly Gammill is the founding director of the CCA. With expertise in specialized in litigation and the First Amendment, she came to the organization in 2018 after previously working as senior litigation counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. 1 3
Initiatives
One major initiative of The StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism is called IDEA, an acronym for Identify, Define, Expose, and Act against antisemitism in schools and on college campuses. 4 The organization says acting against antisemitism will include legal action. 1
The CCA produces educational materials such as the publication “Antisemitism: Then and Now.” The material is designed to help people of all ages and backgrounds understand and confront antisemitism in their communities and institutions. 1
Activism
The StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department and StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education in January 2023 against George Washington University professor Lara Sheehi, alleging the professor violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by creating a hostile and discriminatory environment for Jewish and Israeli students. 5 The professor, coauthor of the book Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine, accused GWU of “colluding” with StandWithUs. 6
In August 2022, Carly Gammill, the founding director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism and counsel for litigation strategy in the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department, signed a letter that went to 3,000 campus administrators raising issues of rising anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment at colleges and universities. 7
In May 2021, the CCA and the Saidoff Legal Department asked Middlebury College President Laurie L. Patton to take action when referencing a list of incidents of what it characterized as antisemitism on the campus, in most cases linked with the group Students for Justice in Palestine. 8
In August 2021, the CCA and the Legal Department wrote to university presidents and general counsels across the United States demanding action against antisemitism on campus. The letter alleged a “failure to uphold professional standards of conduct” in “certain academic departments’ conduct unprotected by the principles of academic freedom;” “certain academic departments and student governments improperly using university listservs and university social media accounts to disseminate politicized communications to students and faculty that marginalize students based on their Jewish ethnicity, Zionist identity, and Israeli national origin.” 9
The CCA and the Legal Department represented a University of California Los Angeles student in 2019 in a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, asserting the UCLA administration took no action on behalf of a student who was verbally attacked by a guest lecturer who insisted that Zionism was “white supremacy.” 10
In June 2020, StandWithUs leaders, including CCA director Gammill, wrote to Florida State University president John E. Thrasher and the FSU Board of Trustees noting they were “appalled at the blatant discrimination and antisemitism occurring” at the Student Government Association, particularly with a student senate president who had posted anti-Israel material, messages referring to a “stupid Jew” on social media, and a website comparing Israel to Nazis. 11
References
- Press Release. “StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism Launched on July 15, 2019.” StandWithUs. July 15, 2019. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.standwithus.com/post/standwithus-center-for-combating-antisemitism-launched-on-july-15-2019
- Linado, Oz. “The Right Organization At The Right Time.” L’chaim Magazine. August 6, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.standwithus.com/post/the-right-organization-at-the-right-time
- Carly F. Gammill. LinkedIn. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-f-gammill-2670082/
- Khan, Lynn. “Two Hundred Attend StandWithUs Event at CBT.” Arizona Jewish Life. April 1, 2022. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://azjewishlife.com/two-hundred-attend-standwithus-event-at-cbt/
- Press Release. “StandWithUs files Title VI complaint against GWU for discriminatory, retaliatory antisemitic conduct.” StandWithUs. January 12, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.standwithus.com/post/standwithus-files-title-vi-complaint-against-gwu-for-discriminatory-retaliatory-antisemitic-conduct
- McGreal, Chris. “George Washington University accused of ‘colluding’ with rightwing pro-Israel group.” The Guardian. February 12, 2023. Accessed November 10, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/12/george-washington-university-standwithus-lara-sheehi-complaint
- Gammill, Carly F. “Combating Antisemitism Is Crucial to the Academic Integrity of Our Nation’s Campuses.” The Algemeiner. August 23, 2022. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/08/23/combating-antisemitism-is-crucial-to-the-academic-integrity-of-our-nations-campuses/
- Letter to Middlebury College President Laurie L. Patton. “StandWithUs to Middlebury College: Take Action Against Rising Antisemitism.” StandWithUs. May 12, 2021. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.standwithus.com/post/standwithus-to-middlebury-college-take-action-against-rising-antisemitism
- Letter to University Presidents and General Counsels. “StandWithUs Letter Demands University Action Against Anti-Israel Activism.” StandWithUs. August 10, 2021. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.standwithus.com/post/standwithus-demands-university-action-against-online-anti-israel-activism
- “UCLA Student & StandWithUs Submit Title VI Complaint Against UCLA Alleging Inaction on Antisemitism.” Campus Watch. October 7, 2019. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59534/ucla-student-standwithus-submit-title-vi
- Letter to Florida State University President and Board of Trustees. “StandWithUs Response to Antisemitism at FSU.” StandWithUs. June 18, 2020. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.standwithus.com/post/standwithus-response-to-antisemitism-at-fsu