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Defending the Civil Rights of Jews in Education
We Fight for You
The Deborah Project asserts and defends the civil rights of Jews experiencing discrimination in education. We are dedicated to creatively and proactively protecting Jews from both traditional antisemitism and its modern form disguised as anti-Zionism.
The Deborah Project’s attorneys recognize that we are at a critical moment in confronting antisemitism in education. Schools have become a key battleground where anti-Jewish bias increasingly appears in curriculum, policy, and campus culture. Drawing on deep legal expertise and innovative litigation strategies, The Deborah Project works to secure the protections Jewish students and families need today.
In May 2022, we launched the first case challenging antisemitic teaching materials in public schools. Through litigation, public tribunals, confidential hearings, and strategic advocacy, Deborah Project attorneys stand on the front lines defending Jewish equality and the freedom of Jews to support Israel. The Deborah Project provides pro bono legal representation to Jews facing discrimination in educational settings and is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Lawyers representing antisemitic organizations being sued by us have called us "relentless."
How We Fight Antisemitism in Education
The Deborah Project provides pro bono legal services to Jews who are facing discrimination in educational settings.
We provide legal advocacy and guidance on the legal system and the civil rights of Jews. Our services include representation in internal investigations, disciplinary proceedings, and legal actions in state and federal courts. We also promote transparency and accountability within educational institutions by filing, or representing others who file, public records requests when antisemitic materials are at issue.
We represent faculty, students and families, and academic associations.
News & Updates
FAQ's
Is antisemitism in school settings illegal?
Acts of Antisemitism can be the basis of a legal violation, so long as those acts create an interference with the ability to do one's job or to participate in one's educational experience.
Don't teachers have free speech rights, so they can't be punished for saying antisemitic things?
K-12 public school teachers do NOT have free speech rights in the classroom or whenever they are performing their official duties. Private school teachers have greater leeway, as do college professors.
Do anti-Zionist/anti-Israel assertions constitute a violation of anti-discrimination laws?
It depends. The U.S. government has slowly begun to recognize that anti-Zionism can constitute antisemitism, and so is subject to anti-discrimination laws, when such hostility goes beyond merely criticizing the Israeli government for various policies but instead attacks Zionists or Israelis for things the speaker doesn't criticize other countries for doing. This is why it is so important for institutions and governments to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and its examples.Discrimination in education is governed by Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But Title VI doesn't include religion as a protected category.
So is antisemitism not considered discriminatory under Title VI?
Someone who is Jewish and believes that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state may have a claim under Title VI under the protected categories of Shared Ancestry and Ethnicity.
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