OU Advocacy to Host First-Ever Attorneys Conference to Assess How to Combat Antisemitism
Conference to Occur in FortLauderdale, Fl. from Feb. 2-4; Will Bring Together Top Legal Minds to DiscussWays to Address Rising Antisemitism in America A few months ago, an Orthodox Jewwas shot on a Shabbat morning as he made his way to shul in a
premeditated and targeted hate crime.Political leaders in Chicago refused to acknowledge the antisemitic attack fordays. Just this month, the FBI
arrested a Florida man for plotting an attackon a South Florida AIPAC building. And “Israelis are the new Nazis” wasrecently
graffitied next to an Oakland, Ca. menorahbelonging to the local Chabad. American Jewish communities areexperiencing exploding antisemitism across the country. To meet the demands ofthe moment, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA), the public policy arm ofthe Orthodox Union, is hosting its inaugural Attorneys Conference in FortLauderdale, Fl. from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4. The goal of the conference is tobrainstorm and discuss concrete avenues for combating, and ultimatelydefeating, antisemitism. According to Nathan Diament, OUA’sexecutive director, “the OUA’s Attorneys Conference brings together the toplegal minds in the Jewish community to identify and develop innovative legalstrategies to fight antisemitism.” The conference will featureexperts on a variety of topics, including esteemed judges and lawyers, andmembers of Congress to provide their unique perspectives and expertise. SenatorLindsey Graham (R-SC) and Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY) will participate in adiscussion on how Congress can fight antisemitism. “Fighting antisemitism requires amulti-pronged approach, and this is one way we can contribute,” Diament added.“OUA has 25 years of experience working the legislative and judicial systems tochange and impact policy. The goal of this conference is action and results.” As news traveled about theconference, participants and panelists emphasized the urgency of the moment. "Jewish legal advocacy has,by all accounts, taken on a greater urgency,” said Professor Michael A.Helfand, Brenden Mann Foundation Chair in Law and Religion at Pepperdine LawSchool. Pepperdine Law School’s Nootbaar Institute for Law, Religion and Ethicsis one of the co-sponsors of the OUA event, and Helfand is on the conferencecommittee and will be a panelist at the event’s opening panel. “The stakes arehigh, the legal issues complex,” Helfand continued. “This is why the OUAConference is the perfect convening right now—and Pepperdine’s NootbaarInstitute is proud to be a co-sponsor of this first-of-its-kind event.” “Since October 2023, many of ushave found ourselves searching for ways to help combat the alarming rise inantisemitism,” said Julie Rapoport Schenker, a D.C.-based lawyer who will beattending the conference. “As lawyers, we spend our professional lives thinkingstrategically about how to help our clients with their legal challenges. OUAdvocacy—and this upcoming conference—offers us the opportunity to use ourwide-ranging expertise and experience to undertake similar strategic advocacyon behalf of our community.” OUA is no stranger to combatingantisemitism in the public arena. Since OUA’s inception in 1999, Diament, who has aJ.D., has been helping Congress draft legislation and working with like-mindedreligious and nonprofit groups to fight discrimination and antisemitism in thecourts. Diament says that the currentcrisis is bigger and more urgent than anything he has faced in his career.“Antisemitism is seeping into every fabric of American life. Yes, it’s in oureducation system, but also in the corporate world, in medicine, in and ofcourse, on the streets of our largest cities.” According to the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Americaexperienced more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the year since the Oct. 7attack on Israel. A new report by the
Campaign Against Antisemitism shows that Jewsare more than twelve times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than anyother faith group. In New York City, home to the largest population of Jews inthe United States, antisemitic hate crimes
are on the rise for the fourth year in a row. For those who think this is auniquely Jewish problem, Diament and his allies caution against such a narrowview. “America was founded on the principles of religious liberty andindividual freedom. A country devoured by hate cannot stand. Antisemitism is anAmerican problem. Everyone has a stake in defeating violent radicalism.” Prospective conference attendeescan register online at
advocacy.ou.org/lawyersconfregistration.
Conference to Occur in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. from Feb. 2-4; Will Bring Together Top Legal Minds to Discuss Ways to Address Rising Antisemitism in America
A few months ago, an Orthodox Jew was shot on a Shabbat morning as he made his way to shul in a premeditated and targeted hate crime. Political leaders in Chicago refused to acknowledge the antisemitic attack for days.
Just this month, the FBI arrested a Florida man for plotting an attack on a South Florida AIPAC building. And “Israelis are the new Nazis” was recently graffitied next to an Oakland, Ca. menorah belonging to the local Chabad.
American Jewish communities are experiencing exploding antisemitism across the country. To meet the demands of the moment, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA), the public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, is hosting its inaugural Attorneys Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4. The goal of the conference is to brainstorm and discuss concrete avenues for combating, and ultimately defeating, antisemitism.
According to Nathan Diament, OUA’s executive director, “the OUA’s Attorneys Conference brings together the top legal minds in the Jewish community to identify and develop innovative legal strategies to fight antisemitism.”
The conference will feature experts on a variety of topics, including esteemed judges and lawyers, and members of Congress to provide their unique perspectives and expertise. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY) will participate in a discussion on how Congress can fight antisemitism.
“Fighting antisemitism requires a multi-pronged approach, and this is one way we can contribute,” Diament added. “OUA has 25 years of experience working the legislative and judicial systems to change and impact policy. The goal of this conference is action and results.”
As news traveled about the conference, participants and panelists emphasized the urgency of the moment.
"Jewish legal advocacy has, by all accounts, taken on a greater urgency,” said Professor Michael A. Helfand, Brenden Mann Foundation Chair in Law and Religion at Pepperdine Law School. Pepperdine Law School’s Nootbaar Institute for Law, Religion and Ethics is one of the co-sponsors of the OUA event, and Helfand is on the conference committee and will be a panelist at the event’s opening panel. “The stakes are high, the legal issues complex,” Helfand continued. “This is why the OUA Conference is the perfect convening right now—and Pepperdine’s Nootbaar Institute is proud to be a co-sponsor of this first-of-its-kind event.”
“Since October 2023, many of us have found ourselves searching for ways to help combat the alarming rise in antisemitism,” said Julie Rapoport Schenker, a D.C.-based lawyer who will be attending the conference. “As lawyers, we spend our professional lives thinking strategically about how to help our clients with their legal challenges. OU Advocacy—and this upcoming conference—offers us the opportunity to use our wide-ranging expertise and experience to undertake similar strategic advocacy on behalf of our community.”
OUA is no stranger to combating antisemitism in the public arena. Since OUA’s inception in 1999, Diament, who has a J.D., has been helping Congress draft legislation and working with like-minded religious and nonprofit groups to fight discrimination and antisemitism in the courts.
Diament says that the current crisis is bigger and more urgent than anything he has faced in his career. “Antisemitism is seeping into every fabric of American life. Yes, it’s in our education system, but also in the corporate world, in medicine, in and of course, on the streets of our largest cities.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), America experienced more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the year since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. A new report by the Campaign Against Antisemitism shows that Jews are more than twelve times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group. In New York City, home to the largest population of Jews in the United States, antisemitic hate crimes are on the rise for the fourth year in a row.
For those who think this is a uniquely Jewish problem, Diament and his allies caution against such a narrow view. “America was founded on the principles of religious liberty and individual freedom. A country devoured by hate cannot stand. Antisemitism is an American problem. Everyone has a stake in defeating violent radicalism.”
Prospective conference attendees can register online at advocacy.ou.org/lawyersconfregistration.
