Touro Law launches antisemitism legal clinic

Central Islip-based Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center has launched the Antisemitism Law Clinic, which will begin student enrollment this fall. Leading the clinic is Rabbi Mark Goldfeder, an attorney, who will serve as its director and assistant clinical law professor.

The clinic is designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain practical experience by working on various aspects of anti-discrimination litigation and legislation, including motion practice, discovery requests, appellate briefing and drafting and marking up of bills.

Based on their interests and experience, students can work with legislators, partner organizations, law firms and nonprofit agencies as well as provide research and strategic litigation support. Students can also participate in forums, hearings and conferences.

“At Touro University, education is the key to empowerment,” Touro President Alan Kadish said in a news release about the Antisemitism Law Clinic.

“Given the rise in antisemitism around the world since Oct. 7, this initiative is particularly timely and important,” Kadish said.

Kadish described Touro as having “the nation’s first-ever antisemitism clinic at a law school to train the next generation of legal advocates and provide our law students with the opportunity to make a difference and impact policy and ultimately, society. Our graduates will use the skills they build to speak up for justice by defending individuals or institutions, advocating for legislative change or addressing antisemitism in employment.”

Goldfeder is the CEO and director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center. He previously served as the founding editor of the Cambridge University Press Series on Law and Judaism, a trustee of the Center for Israel Education, and, by presidential appointment, as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council.

“Dr. Goldfeder brings exceptional expertise and experience that will greatly enrich our students’ education and advance our institutional commitment to combating hatred and discrimination through the new Antisemitism Law Clinic,” Touro Law Center Dean Elena Langan said in the news release.

Langan said that Goldfeder’s “scholarly contributions and practical experience make him uniquely qualified to lead this important initiative. I am confident that his dedication to justice and commitment to fostering an inclusive community will make him an outstanding addition to our faculty as the clinic addresses complex legal challenges facing communities targeted by antisemitism.”

Goldfeder said he hoped the clinic would serve as a model elsewhere in the nation.

“I am thrilled to be leading this clinic at Touro Law and am confident that our work will make a lasting impact in the community and for the students involved,” Goldfeder said. “I hope the clinic will serve as a model for similar programs around the country.”

Goldfeder’s work focuses on law and religion, constitutional law and international law. His byline can be seen in academic publications and outlets such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Forbes and more. He is also co-author of the five-volume treatise Religious Organizations and the Law (Westlaw).

Goldfeder handles cases involving antisemitism issues around the country, and lectures and writes widely on those topics. He has worked with local, state and federal legislators on measures to support the Jewish community, and has defended students, professors, businesses and nonprofits targeted for their support of Israel. He has worked on cases at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and has successfully represented clients including American and Israeli nonprofits in federal litigation.

In 2017, Goldfeder received the Opher Aviran Stand with Israel Award from Hillel, and in 2018, the Jon Barkan Israel Advocacy Award from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Goldfeder received his doctorate and LLM degrees from Emory University and his Juris Doctor degree from NYU School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts at Yeshiva University in journalism.