CELA's Antisemitism Task Force is steadfastly committed to confronting and dismantling antisemitism within the legal profession and beyond. Our mission is to empower CELA members to recognize and redress the biases and prejudices that adversely affect Jewish and Israeli colleagues and clients, while fostering a legal environment that is free from bigotry. We are resolutely dedicated to combating antisemitism, ensuring that individuals targeted on the basis of their religious identity, affiliation or national origin receive vigorous advocacy and support.
Read the full mission statement
We advance cultural competency and sensitivity through an array of comprehensive educational programs, dynamic training initiatives, and focused outreach efforts. These endeavors equip our members with the critical insights and skills needed to identify and combat both implicit and explicit antisemitic practices, advocate effectively for justice, and support their clients with awareness and unwavering integrity.
In pursuit of these aims, the Task Force champions policy reform and the development of robust resources to counteract the pernicious effects of antisemitism. Our multifaceted approach includes:
- Educational Excellence: Delivering an enriched curriculum of seminars, workshops, and continuing legal education that explores both the historical underpinnings and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism, while critically examining systemic biases in the legal system.
- Resource and Support Network: Creating a comprehensive repository of resources, best practices, and support networks designed to assist members in navigating and mitigating the adverse impacts of prejudice in both professional and client-related contexts.
- Leadership and Outreach: Nurturing a new generation of legal leaders through scholarships, mentorship programs, and robust community engagement initiatives, thereby ensuring that the fight against these entrenched forms of bigotry remains both sustainable and far-reaching.
- Policy Advocacy: Collaborating with governmental bodies, judicial institutions, and professional organizations to drive policy reforms that reinforce fairness and accountability, and to promote a legal system that upholds the rights and dignity of every individual.
Moreover, our mission extends to the direct assistance and advocacy for Jewish and Israeli employees in the workplace who suffer discrimination on account of antisemitism. We pledge to provide a dedicated platform for their voices, ensuring they receive the indispensable legal guidance and vigorous representation necessary to overcome such bias.
In fulfilling these objectives, the Antisemitism Task Force reaffirms its unwavering commitment to justice and equality. We stand resolute in the belief that confronting both the oldest prejudices and the modern manifestations of antisemitism is not only a professional duty but a moral imperative—one that underpins our collective pursuit of a just society in which every member of the legal community may serve with honor and dignity, unencumbered by bias.
Interim Leaders
- Patrice Goldman
- Beth Mora
Members
- Lauren Abrams
- Ryan Cadry
- Barbara Figari Cowan
- Robert Flynn
- Marina Fraigun
- Stephen Jaffe
- Eric Kingsley
- Michael Malk
- Latika Malkani
- Wendy Musell
- Alan Reinach
- Leonard Sansanowicz
- Susan Swan
- Iris Weinmann

