# 2024-01-23 CLS Student Senate Rejects New Club “Law Students Against Antisemitism” ![](https://outline-production-attachments.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/575efb0c-1e30-45db-b105-3e18ce1e46d2/33b92d26-de31-4245-b593-9cebb3b97a20/AJC%20Letter%201%20of%202.jpeg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4EOUDTOVUICLPZ4P%2F20261029%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261029T173000Z&X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Signature=86c17d132dfd88bf5b145f578cea9aff58e9442a1d9aaaa15dfc11852432672b&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject "right-50 =474x614") # Metadata * **When:** 2024-01-23 * **Where:** Columbia University * **Who:** * **Organizations:** * **Tags:** # Description :::info **Additional evidence:** [folder](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yuuV8IFXCSk2IXe7gH0sov6oeonPxQXZ?usp=drive_link) ::: **Provisional Description** *On January 23, 2024, the student senate of Columbia Law School blocked the formation of the “Law Students Against Antisemitism” (LSAA) organization. This is the latest example of Columbia’s double standards against Jewish students, and comes in the midst of a federal Department of Education investigation into the university’s alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.*  *Law schools are also on notice from 80 top law firms that the anti-Semitic activities on their campuses—including harassment of Jews, vandalism and assaults on college campuses, including rallies calling for the death of Jews and the elimination of the State of Israel—“would not be tolerated at any of our firms.“ Many of the senators and organizers of the campaign against LSAA have offers of employment from these law firms.* *LSAA, headed by a German law student and comprising a diverse group of non-Jewish and Jewish students, is dedicated to learning about contemporary and historic antisemitism. Senators voted against recognizing LSAA based on its definition of antisemitism. LSAA uses the IHRA definition that has been adopted by the U.S. government and more than XX other countries. Pressure on the Senate came from students who encouraged comparing Israelis to Nazis.* *Astonishingly, some senators also objected to the provision in LSAA’s constitution stating that the board reserves the right to remove by majority vote members who disrupt events. Given the spate of disruptions at Columbia already this year, LSAA believes this is a reasonable provision. LSAA has stated multiple times that it is committed to non-judgmental dialogue and creating a forum of learning. Most importantly, LSAA celebrates the free exchange of ideas, and was founded to contribute to the campus discourse.*  *This is the second time CLS student senate has voted against the formation of LSAA, since an organization with the same name was also denied in 2022.* *The effort to undermine the club was led by some of the same people responsible for the pro-Hamas statement released by the CLS National Lawyers Guild and X other clubs that justified the Hamas attacks on Oct 7. A letter written by an NLG board member was distributed to all senators before the vote slandering the club based on false implications of “weaponizing antisemitism.”* * The [__following letter__](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-8ZDv-G9h6NtyXj2ObNANDRs7Bn-IwEL/view?usp=drive_link) represents a grassroots effort by the Jewish community, along with our allies, to make our voices heard about the formation of a new student organization Law Students Against Antisemitism. This letter currently has 78 signatures (as of 1/23/2024), with approximately four of the signatures being from our allies and the rest from within the Jewish community. The names of the signatories are only being sent to Student Senate President Justin Onwenu and Parliamentarian Chloe Fink due to concerns of doxing.  * This ([__pg1__](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-LPvY6599ClwRoY2eDbn3nODVSGJBHJI/view?usp=drive_link), [__pg2__](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Mtm5U5UPHCFjKXEPtXIYEDyilhfJkzG/view?usp=drive_link)) was handed out at the meeting. * The student senate voted NOT to approve “Law Students Against Anti Semitism” ## **Media** * [__Law School Student Senate denies approval of Law Students Against Antisemitism group__](https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/02/01/law-school-student-senate-denies-approval-of-law-students-against-antisemitism-group/) by Rebecca Massel, Columbia Spectator, February 1, 2024 * [__Just before Holocaust Day, Columbia Law student senate rejected a club to fight antisemitism__](https://www-timesofisrael-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.timesofisrael.com/columbia-law-student-senate-rejects-antisemitism-watchdog-club-just-before-holocaust-day/amp/) by Cathryn Price, The Times of Israel, February 1, 2024 * [__Columbia Law School rejects student group created to combat antisemitism__](https://jewishinsider.com/2024/02/columbia-law-school-student-group-antisemitism-ihra/) by Haley Cohen, Jewish Insider, February 5, 2024 * [__At Columbia Law School, only one student club was rejected this year — the one formed to oppose antisemitism__](https://jeffjacoby.com/27539/at-columbia-law-school-only-one-student-club-was) by Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe, February 7, 2024 * [__VICTORY: Columbia University Law School Student Senate grants recognition to Law Students Against Antisemitism__](https://www.thefire.org/news/victory-columbia-university-law-school-student-senate-grants-recognition-law-students-against) by Talia Barnes, The FIRE, February 12, 2024 ## **Social Media** * Marie-Alice Legrand’s [__post__](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marie-alice-legrand-55995bb3_hamasisisis-activity-7117931162185949184-KpRc) on LinkedIn * AJC [__tweet__](https://x.com/AJCGlobal/status/1755601584296497193) asking Dean Lester to reverse the decision ([__page1__](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-DLDP-YmilRuM-Y9lXaHhZrwFIQr-Vkx/view?usp=drive_link), [__page2__](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-8sDQ7-ptRMFCFnddXSbNYaINddW2N9c/view?usp=drive_link)) # Footer *Please see the* [*Footer*](/doc/footer-gtEqmMBRHz) *page for important reference information regarding usage rights, inquiries, and other matters.* --- **Documents** - [DOCUMENTING JEW HATRED ON CAMPUS (DJHC)](https://documentingjewhatredoncampus.getoutline.com/s/93b310d5-95f0-449a-8b9c-8856879b06e8/doc/documenting-jew-hatred-on-campus-djhc-WUPKm3CSLY) - [GENERAL REFERENCE INFORMATION](https://documentingjewhatredoncampus.getoutline.com/s/93b310d5-95f0-449a-8b9c-8856879b06e8/doc/general-reference-information-7DxXSS7JcC) - [COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ARCHIVE](https://documentingjewhatredoncampus.getoutline.com/s/93b310d5-95f0-449a-8b9c-8856879b06e8/doc/columbia-university-archive-epk0gmmFWv)