OU Advocacy Holds Attorney Conference on Antisemitism

Last week, more than 125 Jewish attorneys from across the country gathered at the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center’s (OUA) inaugural Attorneys Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. to strategize on how to defeat antisemitism.

The OU Advocacy Center decided to convene this unprecedented gathering in response to the unprecedented wave of antisemitism the community has been grappling with since the terrible events of Oct. 7, 2023.

The goal of the conference was to learn from experts and brainstorm new and creative ways to use America’s legal system to combat the world’s oldest hatred.

The conference kicked off Sunday evening with a keynote address by David Schizer, the former dean of Columbia Law School and a co-chair of Columbia University’s Task Force on Antisemitism. Columbia has been a hotbed of antisemitic protests and encampments. A few weeks ago, masked pro-Hamas students stormed an Israeli history class to pass out flyers with violent imagery.

Monday’s sessions consisted of panels of leading lawyers from across the profession. One panel featured a trio of prominent federal judges – Hon. Matthew Solomson (Court of Federal Claims), Hon. Robert Luck (Court of Appeals), and Hon. Robert Scola (District of Florida). Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Congressman Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) spoke together from the legislative perspective.

Another panel included attorneys leading key lawsuits against antisemitism, featuring Brandeis Center President Alyza Lewin, Pepperdine Law School Professor Avi Helfand, and Baruch Weiss of Arnold & Porter. Yet another session was focused on the experience of lawyers serving as in-house counsels at major American corporations. Finally, Hon. Paul Clement, former Solicitor General of the U.S. and a lead attorney in the Jewish students’ lawsuit against UCLA, delivered a keynote address at Monday evening’s dinner.

“We are truly thankful and inspired by the number of attendees and their responses,” said Nathan Diament, OU Advocacy’s executive director. “Members of our community are eager to get involved — they just need help being pointed in the right direction. One thing is for certain: The antisemites stand no chance against a united Jewish community.”


“The OUA conference brought together an extraordinary group of lawyers, judges, politicians and academics—all committed to identifying ways to respond to growing antisemitism in the United States,” Pepperdine’s Avi Helfand said. “While the challenges remain daunting, the conference’s high energy and thoughtful discussion really provided optimism for where we go from here. I couldn’t be more proud for Pepperdine Law School’s Nootbaar Institute to have co-sponsored this one-of-a-kind event.”