Isadora Jaffee
Overview
Isadora Jaffee [Isadora Brooks Jaffee] has spread hatred of Israel and opposed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which includes equating Israel with Nazi Germany.Jaffee was affiliated with the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law (CUNY Law) chapter of the Jewish Law Students Association (CUNY JLSA) during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jaffee also expressed support for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in February 2020.
As of February 2024, Jaffee worked as a staff attorney in the Immigration Program at Catholic Migration Services in New York, New York. Jaffee’s LinkedIn profile said she had worked there since September 2021. She also wrote on her LinkedIn that she was an “Immigration Removal Defense Attorney.”
Jaffee was listed as having passed the New York State bar exam in July 2021.
As of February 2024, Jaffee’s LinkedIn said she graduated from CUNY Law with a JD in 2021. Her LinkedIn also said she graduated from Oberlin College (Oberlin) with a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies, U.S. history and politics in 2013.
As of the same date, Jaffee’s LinkedIn said she was located in New York, New York.
Hatred of Israel
In June 2023, Jaffee signed an anti-Israel statement titled: “Over 400 CUNY Law Alumni Stand with Fatima.” The statement compared the “harm and violence caused” by American police to “Israel’s violent occupation and apartheid system.”
The statement defended Fatima Mohammed for her CUNY Law commencement speech in May 2023, where she promoted violence, spread hatred of Israel and the police, honored terrorist financiers and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. Mohammed is an activist with the pro-terror group Within Our Lifetime (WOL), where she has glorified terrorists and called for Israel’s destruction.The CUNY Board of Trustees condemned Mohammed’s speech.
On September 24, 2020, Jaffee posted on Facebook: “#WeStandWithNerdeen CUNY School of Law.” Jaffee’s post included a series of graphics defending WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani.
One graphic said: “Zionism is built on and perpetuates itself on the erasure of Palestinians, their history, and their culture. It is a violent ideology that manifests in organizations like the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], which, backed by United States, carries out the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians…”
One way that anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is to claim [00:06:46] that Israeli Jews, particularly Ashkenazi Jews, do not descend from the ancient Israelites. This claim alleges that Israeli Jews are white Europeans who lack a connection to the Land of Israel.
In February 2020, Jaffee signed a letter titled: “CUNY Law Student groups, Students, Alumni and Faculty stand with SJP and Palestinian students.”
The letter claimed: “A subset of Zionist activists choose to weaponize the genuine threats of anti-Semitism elsewhere in our society as a tactic to repress activism and harass and threaten Palestinian students and Muslim students more broadly.”
The letter was released after a Jewish student at CUNY Law wrote an op-ed about her experiences with anti-Semitism on campus. That student later reportedly dropped out of CUNY Law after harassment she faced from her op-ed and the anti-Israel letter.
On April 24, 2015, Jaffee posted on Facebook in support of anti-Israel professor Cornel West. She wrote: “Cornel west<33, always on point, not just about the terrible injustices against black Americans but has tied it together with Americas prevention for justice in Palestine.”
Jaffee’s post included a link to an article from the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada (EI). The article was titled: “Truth-teller Cornel West stands up to Israel lobby bullies.”
The “Israel Lobby” is a conspiracy theory alleging Israeli and Jewish control over the U.S. government. Proponents of the theory decry the negative effects on American interests, particularly in foreign policy.
The article said that during a rally in August 2014, following Operation Protective Edge (OPE), West claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was promoting “occupation and human annihilation.”
Israel commenced OPE in July 2014 to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
On June 23, 2014, Jaffee shared a link on Facebook to an article titled: “There’s a Huge Crackdown Happening in the West Bank – and No One Is Talking About It.”
The article said: “It was Thursday night when Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Ifrach disappeared…In what is now clearly much more than a bid to return missing teenagers, Israeli forces have unleashed a military crackdown on the West Bank…”
On June 12, 2014, three teenage boys, Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah, were kidnapped and murdered in an operation organized by Hamas. A Hamas official claimed the organization was responsible for the kidnapping and murder.
The article also said: “Superficially, Hamas is targeted because it is deemed responsible for the kidnapping.”
On November 15, 2012, during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense (OPD) against Hamas, Jaffee posted on Facebook: “Despite your opinions, just take a second to look through the pictures at the top of the article. This is not okay.” Jaffee’s post included a link to an article titled: “Ferocious Israeli Assault on Gaza Kills a Leader of Hamas.”
Jaffee commented on her post the following day: “Ive visited [Israeli city of] Ashkelon I understand there is some danger (mostly fear not actual killings) there and it is equally upsetting. But if you compare the pictures, scenarios, etc., you are comparing (alive) children hiding under desks to hurt/dead children covered in rubble.”
Israel launched OPD to stop Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians from Gaza. Over the course of eight days in November 2012, Palestinian terrorist groups fired more than 1,500 rockets at Israel. The majority struck Israel, damaging homes, schools and other civilian areas. Human Rights Watch noted: “Palestinian armed groups made clear in their statements that harming civilians was their aim.”
The letter stated: “We, the Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) at CUNY Law, and our allies, write to convey our concern and alarm over the recent introduction on 3/14/21 of the University Student Senate (USS) Resolution ‘Condemning Anti-Semitism and Supporting the CUNY Jewish Community.’ We respectfully oppose this resolution, and urge the USS and our CUNY community to do the same. This resolution adopts a definition of antisemitism put forth by the the [sic] International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).”
The statement defended Fatima Mohammed for her CUNY Law commencement speech in May 2023, where she promoted violence, spread hatred of Israel and the police, honored terrorist financiers and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. Mohammed is an activist with the pro-terror group Within Our Lifetime (WOL), where she has glorified terrorists and called for Israel’s destruction.The CUNY Board of Trustees condemned Mohammed’s speech.
On September 24, 2020, Jaffee posted on Facebook: “#WeStandWithNerdeen CUNY School of Law.” Jaffee’s post included a series of graphics defending WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani.
One graphic said: “Zionism is built on and perpetuates itself on the erasure of Palestinians, their history, and their culture. It is a violent ideology that manifests in organizations like the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], which, backed by United States, carries out the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians…”
Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
Another graphic that Jaffee posted claimed that the IDF was a “European settler-colonial tool created for the purpose of ethnic cleansing, displacement, and national oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people.”
One way that anti-Israel activists spread anti-Semitism is to claim [00:06:46] that Israeli Jews, particularly Ashkenazi Jews, do not descend from the ancient Israelites. This claim alleges that Israeli Jews are white Europeans who lack a connection to the Land of Israel.
In February 2020, Jaffee signed a letter titled: “CUNY Law Student groups, Students, Alumni and Faculty stand with SJP and Palestinian students.”
The letter claimed: “A subset of Zionist activists choose to weaponize the genuine threats of anti-Semitism elsewhere in our society as a tactic to repress activism and harass and threaten Palestinian students and Muslim students more broadly.”
The letter was released after a Jewish student at CUNY Law wrote an op-ed about her experiences with anti-Semitism on campus. That student later reportedly dropped out of CUNY Law after harassment she faced from her op-ed and the anti-Israel letter.
On April 24, 2015, Jaffee posted on Facebook in support of anti-Israel professor Cornel West. She wrote: “Cornel west<33, always on point, not just about the terrible injustices against black Americans but has tied it together with Americas prevention for justice in Palestine.”
Jaffee’s post included a link to an article from the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada (EI). The article was titled: “Truth-teller Cornel West stands up to Israel lobby bullies.”
The “Israel Lobby” is a conspiracy theory alleging Israeli and Jewish control over the U.S. government. Proponents of the theory decry the negative effects on American interests, particularly in foreign policy.
The article said that during a rally in August 2014, following Operation Protective Edge (OPE), West claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was promoting “occupation and human annihilation.”
Israel commenced OPE in July 2014 to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
On June 23, 2014, Jaffee shared a link on Facebook to an article titled: “There’s a Huge Crackdown Happening in the West Bank – and No One Is Talking About It.”
The article said: “It was Thursday night when Gilad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Ifrach disappeared…In what is now clearly much more than a bid to return missing teenagers, Israeli forces have unleashed a military crackdown on the West Bank…”
On June 12, 2014, three teenage boys, Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah, were kidnapped and murdered in an operation organized by Hamas. A Hamas official claimed the organization was responsible for the kidnapping and murder.
The article also said: “Superficially, Hamas is targeted because it is deemed responsible for the kidnapping.”
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Israel and other countries. Founded in 1987, it has killed thousands of Israeli civilians through mass shootings and suicide bombings. Hamas has also kidnapped children, families and the elderly and held them hostage in Gaza. It has desecrated [slide 2] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.
On November 15, 2012, during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense (OPD) against Hamas, Jaffee posted on Facebook: “Despite your opinions, just take a second to look through the pictures at the top of the article. This is not okay.” Jaffee’s post included a link to an article titled: “Ferocious Israeli Assault on Gaza Kills a Leader of Hamas.”
Jaffee commented on her post the following day: “Ive visited [Israeli city of] Ashkelon I understand there is some danger (mostly fear not actual killings) there and it is equally upsetting. But if you compare the pictures, scenarios, etc., you are comparing (alive) children hiding under desks to hurt/dead children covered in rubble.”
Israel launched OPD to stop Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians from Gaza. Over the course of eight days in November 2012, Palestinian terrorist groups fired more than 1,500 rockets at Israel. The majority struck Israel, damaging homes, schools and other civilian areas. Human Rights Watch noted: “Palestinian armed groups made clear in their statements that harming civilians was their aim.”
Opposing the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism
In April 2021, Jaffee signed an open letter titled: “Open Letter to the CUNY Community Re: USS IHRA resolution.”The letter stated: “We, the Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) at CUNY Law, and our allies, write to convey our concern and alarm over the recent introduction on 3/14/21 of the University Student Senate (USS) Resolution ‘Condemning Anti-Semitism and Supporting the CUNY Jewish Community.’ We respectfully oppose this resolution, and urge the USS and our CUNY community to do the same. This resolution adopts a definition of antisemitism put forth by the the [sic] International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights multiple forms of contemporary anti-Semitism related to Israel, including “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
The IHRA also highlights another form of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
On April 11, 2021, The CUNY University Student Senate (USS) posted a Zoom meeting on Facebook where they debated the adoption of two different definitions of anti-Semitism.
Jaffee commented on the video: “#IHRAOutOfCUNY.”
The JLSA definition of anti-Semitism was presented to the CUNY USS as part of a larger resolution submitted by JLSA and CUNY Law SJP. The resolution said [p. 3]: “antisemitism is not an exceptional form of bigotry.”
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/izzy91108/ [Private]
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/isadora-jaffee-97204553/
On April 11, 2021, The CUNY University Student Senate (USS) posted a Zoom meeting on Facebook where they debated the adoption of two different definitions of anti-Semitism.
Jaffee commented on the video: “#IHRAOutOfCUNY.”
The JLSA definition of anti-Semitism was presented to the CUNY USS as part of a larger resolution submitted by JLSA and CUNY Law SJP. The resolution said [p. 3]: “antisemitism is not an exceptional form of bigotry.”
SJP
SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.
The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.
SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.
SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.
SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.
Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.
Social Media and Web Links
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/isadora.jaffeeInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/izzy91108/ [Private]
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/isadora-jaffee-97204553/
