EXTREMISMFree Legal Helpline Has Gained Pro Bono Support from 40+ Law Firms, 250+ Individual Practitioners Since Launching in November 2023
The Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) has received more than 650 requests for assistance from university students across the country who experienced antisemitic harassment, violence or discrimination in the first nine months of the program.
Hillel International, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP today announced that the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) has received more than 650 requests for assistance from university students across the country who experienced antisemitic harassment, violence or discrimination in the first nine months of the program.
Through CALL, lawyers from leading firms provide free assistance to students reporting antisemitic discrimination and hate by conducting in-depth information-gathering interviews and offering pro bono representation in cases of violations of students’ civil rights under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Since CALL’s launch, nearly 100 attorneys from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and 40 other law firms fielded students’ requests for help. More than 250 individual practitioners also volunteered their time to support Jewish students.
Examples of CALL’s work on behalf of students include:
· Providing legal support to a Jewish student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who was verbally harassed and physically assaulted because he was supportive of Israel and the hostages taken in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.
· After Jewish students attending The Ohio State University were assaulted, CALL worked with Jewish partner organizations to file a Title VI complaint.
· As a result of a CALL intake, ADL and the Brandeis Center filed a Title VI complaint alleging the Pomona College administration failed to protect Jewish students as anti-Israel organizations held on-campus protests in violation of college regulations that resulted in physical violence, intimidation, and occupation of campus buildings.
· CALL drafted a letter to Princeton University leadership condemning the use of no-contact orders to silence a Jewish student journalist trying to report on anti-Israel protests. This led Princeton to change its policy so that these no-contact orders could no longer be issued under such circumstances and affirmed that the student would not face consequences for her journalism.
“As antisemitism on campus skyrockets, CALL is making a difference in the lives of Jewish students every day by providing outstanding legal support to fight harassment and bigotry,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. “CALL empowers students to take action and push back against those who perpetrate and enable hate on their campus.”
