Brandeis is a private university located in the Boston suburb of Waltham, MA. Brandeis offers its students multiple programs and initiatives which celebrate Israel and whitewash over the realities of Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the homeland and theft of Palestinian resources.
Brandeis maintains partnerships with several Israeli universities through its "Israel Initiative." Brandeis states about its Israel Initiative: "Israeli students from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev’s Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business & Management who enroll in the MA and MBA programs at Brandeis International Business School can get financial support and possible credit toward work completed."
Brandeis is home to the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, which the university claims is "dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of Israeli history, politics, culture and society." Brandeis further states that the Schusterman Center's "mission goes far beyond scholarship itself," noting that the center is "committed to creating and disseminating knowledge about the modern state of Israel, not just at Brandeis, but to a global audience." The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies regularly partners with Boston area Zionist organizations, including The Consulate General of Israel to New England and Hadassah, to host propagandistic, pro-Israel events on the Brandeis campus (see for example: here and here).
Brandeis University is also home to the "Crown Center for Middle East Studies." Brandeis's Crown Center bears the name of the late Henry Crown, a Chicago-based financier whose family made their (as of 2005) $3.6 billion dollar fortune through ventures including owning a 20% stake in the US weapons developer General Dynamics. (See entry on General Dynamics.) As Bob Feldman reported in 2005: "From its investments in Pentagon war contractors like General Dynamics and U.S. real estate, the Crown family has accumulated a family fortune of $3.6 billion, according to a recent Forbes magazine estimate. A portion of the Crown family’s surplus wealth was apparently recently shifted to Brandeis University in Massachusetts in order to establish the 'Crown Center for Middle East Studies'." Feldman reports that the Crown Center's Founding Director and Professor of Politics Shai Feldman (who still holds this position, as of 2022) was a "member of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies Council and a recent head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (JCSS) at Tel Aviv," further noting that the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (JCSS) (which Shai Feldman headed before joining the Crown Center) "employs former Israeli military officials as staff members" such as "Feldman’s successor as head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (JCSS) [who] is former Israeli General Zvi Shtauber, who headed the Strategic Planning Division of the Israel Defense Forces, according to the JCSS’s web site at www.tau.ac.il/jcss."
Brandeis University also hosts the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program. The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program includes "The Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel," which Brandies states "has been a cornerstone of the Hornstein Program’s curriculum for more than 30 years". Listed amongst "People and Places We've Visited," under a section entitled "West Bank," on The Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel website are: "Security barrier tour," ie a visit to and tour of Israel's apartheid and annexation wall which fragments Palestinian communities in the West Bank; and "'Mifgash' with students." Mifgash is the Hebrew word for "encounter" and refers to meetings between young Israeli adults and young Jewish adults from abroad. Given that the "Mifgash" coordinated by the Kraft Seminar occur in the West Bank, these encounters presumably involved Brandeis students meeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Furthermore, the IACT (Inspired, Active, Committed and Transformed) program operates on the Brandeis University campus. Designed and funded by Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), the IACT program aims to “strengthen and transform Jewish life and Israel advocacy on campuses through the expansion of Birthright Israel and the active engagement of Birthright Israel participants in new programs." WickedLocal reports about IACT, "The program, currently at 29 local Hillels around the country, supports a coordinator on each campus dedicated to recruiting students for Birthright Israel trips and inspiring them to become active in Jewish life and Israel activities once back on campus."
18 links
IAC Boston is runs a fellowship program called IAC Mishelanu, through which they aim to cultivate "pro-Israel leadership" on several Boston area college campuses, including Brandeis University.
The Boston chapter of Hadassh and the Brandeis's Schusterman Center for Israel Studies have partnered on multiple occasions to host pro-Israel events in the Boston Area (see for example: here and here).
Brandeis University has invested in Baupost Group.
The Brandeis Crown Center for Middle East Studies bears the name of the late Henry Crown, a Chicago-based financier whose family made their (as of 2005) $3.6 billion dollar fortune through ventures including owning a 20% stake in the US weapons developer General Dynamics. As Bob Feldman reported in 2005: "From its investments in Pentagon war contractors like General Dynamics and U.S. real estate, the Crown family has accumulated a family fortune of $3.6 billion, according to a recent Forbes magazine estimate. A portion of the Crown family’s surplus wealth was apparently recently shifted to Brandeis University in Massachusetts in order to establish the 'Crown Center for Middle East Studies'."
The Founding Director of and current Professor of Politics at Brandeis's Crown Center for Middle East Studies Shai Feldman is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
Goldman Visiting Senior Fellow at Brandeis's Crown Center for Middle East Studies Chuck Freilich is also currently a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. Freilich is also "a former deputy national security adviser in Israel."
Founding Senior Fellow at Brandeis's Crown Center for Middle East Studies Abdel Monem Said Aly was previously a research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
Crown Family Director and Professor of the Practice of Politics at Brandeis's Crown Center for Middle East Studies Gary Samore previously served as the "executive director for research" at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
Associate Director of Brandeis's Crown Center for Middle East Studies Kristina Cherniahivsky previously managed the International Security Program at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
Senior Fellow Lecturer in Politics at Brandeis's Crown Center for Middle East Studies Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch was previously a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center.
From fiscal years 2007-2020, Combined Jewish Philanthropies funneled $6,224,913 from its donors to Brandeis University, as well as $297,815 to the Brandeis National Committee, $36,506 to BIMA at Brandeis University, and $866,145 to Brandeis University Hillel.
Moreover, the IACT (Inspired, Active, Committed and Transformed) program, which operates on the Brandeis University campus, received $7,004,000 from Combined Jewish Philanthropies in fiscal year 2020 alone. CJP designed IACT to “strengthen and transform Jewish life and Israel advocacy on campuses through the expansion of Birthright Israel and the active engagement of Birthright Israel participants in new programs." WickedLocal reports about IACT, "The program, currently at 29 local Hillels around the country, supports a coordinator on each campus dedicated to recruiting students for Birthright Israel trips and inspiring them to become active in Jewish life and Israel activities once back on campus."
The Hornstein Program at Brandeis University (which includes "The Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel") received $6,400 from Combined Jewish Philanthropies in fiscal year 2020.
Additionally, Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Brandeis's Schusterman Center for Israel Studies have partnered to host pro-Israel events in the Boston Area (see for example: here).
CAMERA on Campus provided support to the Brandeis student organization "Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian Affairs (SAIPA)," established in 2013 by then Brandeis freshman (and graduate of Gann Academy) Daniel Mael. (Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian Affairs (SAIPA) subsequently merged with Brandeis Israeli Culture Club (BICC) and now appears to be inactive.)
The Consulate General of Israel to New England and Brandeis University's Schusterman Center for Israel Studies have collaborated to host Zionist events in the Boston Area. (See for example: here.)
In fiscal years 2019 and 2020 alone, Fidelity Charitable funneled $2,447,197 from its donors to Brandeis University.
Brandeis University was one of the universities that participated in The Israel Summit in 2021.
The Jewish Arts Collaborative and Brandeis University's Schusterman Center for Israel Studies have collaborated to host pro-Israel events in the Boston Area. (See for example: here.)
Jonathan Lavine serves on the Advisory Board of Brandeis University's Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. Jonathan and Jeannie Lavine also financially support Brandeis University.
Based on available tax filings, the Joseph and Rae Gann Charitable Foundation has donated at least $41,060 to Brandeis University and has donated $3,000 to Hillel at Brandeis.
Kraft Family Philanthropies donated $8,011,029 to Brandeis University from fiscal years 2002-2017. Kraft Family Philanthropies President Josh Kraft serves on the Brandeis University Board of Trustees.
George Krupp is a member of Brandeis University's Board of Trustees. The Krupp Family Foundation donated $65,000 to Brandeis University from fiscal years 2017-2019.
The Paul and Joanne Egerman Family Charitable Foundation donated $107,500 to Brandeis University from fiscal years 2003-2009.
The Ruderman Family Foundation donated $742,507 to Brandeis University from fiscal years 2010-2016.
The Klarman Family Foundation donated $5,750 to Brandeis University in fiscal year 2019. This 2019 donation was earmarked "to support the Spring conference at the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies."