Arthur Stark, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued the following statement:
The Conference of Presidents is encouraged by the appointment of the Kenneth Marcus, founder and former President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, to the position of Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. As the leader of the Brandeis Center, Marcus was dedicated to defending Jewish students from anti-Semitic attacks on college campuses across the country, and he has continued this work within the U.S. government. By applying the State Department’s working definition of anti-Semitism, which received resounding bi-partisan support in the Senate, to the Department of Education, Assistant Secretary Marcus has provided the investigators in the Office of Civil Rights with a clearer understanding of what constitutes anti-Semitism and guidance as to how it should be addressed. His work to defend Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs from discrimination reflects a commitment on the part of the Department of Education to equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of ethnic background.
Furthermore, the Conference of Presidents supports Assistant Secretary Marcus’s decision to reopen the investigation into the allegations of bias and anti-Semitism arising from at the Zionist Organization of America’s complaint against Rutgers University, and we appreciate the Rutgers University administration’s cooperation with any review of this case by the Department of Education.
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