Emory University law school students on Monday launched a student chapter of a national human rights organization to fight anti-Semitism and provide advocacy to victims for free.
The start of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law student chapter comes after anti-Semitic incidents were reported on Emory’s campus last fall.
In September, swastikas were found at Emory's Robert W. Woodruff Library. The following month, swastikas were found on the walls of Emory's Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. Later in October, ethnic and racial slurs were yelled during an intramural football game between Alpha Epsilon Pi and another team.
“If we can do our part to change perceptions now, in the more important forums for learning and discourse, we can stem a growing problem and protect Jews and all people from hatred and bigotry,” said Michael Kleinman, chapter president of Emory’s LDB student chapter.
A national report also released Monday found that more than half of 1,157 self-identified Jewish students at 55 campuses across the country reported having been subjected to or having witnessed anti-Semitism on their campuses. The report, issued jointly by Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and the Brandeis Center, was compiled from students participating in an online survey about instances during the first six months of the 2013-2014 academic year.
Emory joins about a dozen other colleges in launched an LDB student chapter since the initiative began last year.
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