2026-02-06 12:38:AM <br/> Tags: #organization #AmericanJewry #WorldJewry ![[image-228.png|604x254]] # The Lawfare Project (TLP) - The Lawfare Project is an American nonprofit organization founded by Brooke Goldstein in 2010 that describes itself as "the legal arm of the Jewish community."[^1][^2] - The Lawfare Project provides free legal services to defend Jews and Jewish interests. - The Lawfare Project defends not only Jewish people, but also the Jewish state of Israel. - The Lawfare Project uses sensational tactics to announce legal action, usually with the word "antisemitism" front and center. - These cases often legally result in nothing, but half of the victory is in the initial and very public charge of antisemitism. #### Activities - In 2010, The Lawfare Project received initial funding from the [[Conference of Presidents]]. - Notably, TLP is housed at 633 3rd Avenue in Manhattan-the same building as the [[Jewish Agency|Jewish Agency-U.S.]], the [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]], the [[Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)]], and the [[Conference of Presidents]].[^3][^4][^27] - TLP founder Brooke Goldstein was a former director of "The Legal Project" at [[Daniel Pipes]]' [[Middle East Forum]].[^5][^6] - Goldstein is connected to the conservative pro-Israel network through her positions at the [[Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)]], the [[Hudson Institute]], the [[Claremont Institute]], etc. - In 2010, the Olympia Food Co-op board voted to boycott Israeli goods.[^4] - In 2011, [[StandWithUs (SWU)]] and the Israel consul in the Pacific Northwest colluded on a lawsuit against the co-op.[^7][^9] - The case was initially lost after the suit was deemed an illegal strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP)[^9] *SLAPP suits are used to censor and intimidate opponents by forcing them to partake in burdensome legal processes. The plaintiffs assume most people/entities would rather not incur the financial and time costs associated with a SLAPP suit.*[^10] - In 2014, TLP joined the suit submitting an amicus brief on the side of the Jewish plaintiffs against Washington state's anti-SLAPP laws.[^8][^4] - Washington's anti-SLAPP laws were deemed unconstitutional by the Washington Supreme Court in 2015.[^9] - The case against the Olympia Food Co-op was once again dismissed in 2018 after the court found the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit.[^9] - In 2015 TLP began a years-long legal campaign against Kuwait Airways for its refusal to accept Israeli passengers. - TLP experienced success in certain jurisdictions in the United States and Europe, which forced Kuwait Airways to either accept Israeli passengers or cease operations. Kuwait Airways chose the latter.[^1] - TLP's website states: "We forced Kuwait Airways to terminate half of its U.S. operations and all inter-European flight routes due to its practice of discriminating against Israeli passport-holders.[^2] - In 2018 a Jewish student at Temple University was allegedly punched and called names.[^25] - Organized American Jewry immediately mounted a simultaneous defense and attack campaign on behalf of the Jewish student against his attacker. - Groups involved in the initiative included The Lawfare Project, [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA)]], [[Hasbara Fellowships]], [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]], [[StandWithUs (SWU)]], [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]], etc. - On December 11, 2019, [[Donald Trump]] signed executive order 13899. *The Lawfare Project exists in the Israel-first pro-Trump sphere. The organization's founder Brooke Goldstein has been personally invited to White House events by the President. Goldstein often appears with Trump allies and members of the administration.*[^21] - The order instructs government agencies to reference the [[International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)]]'s working definition of antisemitism.[^11] - Using the mandate of Trump's executive order, Jewish and pro-Israel organizations including The Lawfare Project unleashed a wave of legal action against their critics. - The Lawfare Project used the president's directive to target BDS activities on college campuses starting immediately with Columbia University.[^12] - Since its inception, college campuses have been a major focus of TLP. - TLP has engaged in legal activity on behalf of Jews and Israel at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, Point Park University, Carnegie Mellon, SUNY Downstate, Cooper Union, etc.[^13][^12][^14][^15][^16][^17] - The Lawfare Project's suit against Cooper Union (mentioned above) was done in partnership with the law firm Arnold & Porter LLP.[^17] - Arnold and Porter has been a registered foreign agent for the state of Israel for decades.[^18][^19] - Beginning in the late 1970s, Arnold and Porter represented [[Zalman Shapiro]] pro bono.[^19] - Zalman Shapiro was undergoing his third federal investigation for suspected diversion of highly enriched uranium from his nuclear processing plant in Apollo, Pennsylvania called [[NUMEC]].[^19] - In 2017 and 2018, TLP intervened in opposition to Belgian laws banning *Shechita*, the religious Jewish practice of ritual animal slaughter.[^1] - The Lawfare Project proudly provides "invaluable legal guidance" to [[Canary Mission]].[^20] - Canary Mission is an anonymously ran Israeli doxxing and blacklisting operation primarily targeting American critics of Israel. - In 2024, the Biden Administration issued executive order 14115, which upheld longstanding American doctrine against settler activity in the occupied territories.[^22] - The EO placed U.S. sanctions on particular settler activity in the West bank. - The Lawfare Project funded a lawsuit filed by "Texans for Israel" challenging Biden's EO in order to "protect the rights of Jewish Americans living in Judea and Samaria."[^24] *"Jewish American's living in Judea and Samaria" are largely ultra-Orthodox religious Zionist Jews who have abandoned the United States in order to fulfil their Jewish obligation of 'coming home' to Israel. These "American Jews" just like "Texans for Israel" and The Lawfare Project itself are primarily loyal to Israel. The proof is their opposition to core American foreign policy doctrine since the 1967 war of opposing settler activity.* - On January 20, 2025, the first day of [[Donald Trump]]'s second term, he revoked EO 14115. The Lawfare Project celebrated.[^23] #### Funding and Donors - According to *ProPublica*, The Lawfare project reported $4.17 million in revenue in 2024.[^26] - The organization's revenue rose sharply around 2021 and has remained steady since. - Known Lawfare Project donors include: - [[Conference of Presidents]][^6] - [[Sheldon Adelson]]'s [[Maccabee Task Force]][^6] - [[Jewish Communal Fund]][^6] - [[Adam Milstein]][^28] #### Notable Figures ![[image-229.png|671|532x558]] *TLP founder Brook Goldstein and [[Mike Huckabee]], the U.S. Ambassador to Israel since 2025. [Source](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1290323302465801&set=pb.100044644290346.-2207520000&type=3)* - Brooke Goldstein - Founder - Alison Katz Wolfson - Board member and [[AIPAC]] executive council member.[^6] - Michele Lee Fine - Board member and former [[Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO)]] official.[^6] #### References [^1]: “Lawfare Project,” Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawfare_Project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawfare_Project). [^2]: The Lawfare Project, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/](https://www.thelawfareproject.org). [^3]: Zionist Organization of America, [https://zoa.org/#:~:text=York%2C%20NY%2010017-,633%20Third%20Avenue,-%2C%20Suite%2031%2DB](https://zoa.org/#:~:text=York%2C%20NY%2010017-,633%20Third%20Avenue,-%2C%20Suite%2031%2DB). [^4]: Phan Nguyen, “Appeals court upholds dismissal of anti-BDS lawsuit against Olympia Food Co-op,” _Mondoweiss_, April 8, 2014, [https://mondoweiss.net/2014/04/appeals-dismissal-against/](https://mondoweiss.net/2014/04/appeals-dismissal-against/). [^5]: Middle East Forum, _The Legal Project_, [https://www.meforum.org/the-legal-project](https://www.meforum.org/the-legal-project). [^6]: _Lawfare Project_, InfluenceWatch, [https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/lawfare-project/](https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/lawfare-project/). [^7]: Richard Silverstein, _“Israeli Consul, StandWithUs Engage in Lawfare Against Olympia Food Coop”_, Tikun Olam (blog), September 10, 2011, [https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2011/09/10/israeli-consul-standwithus-engage-in-lawfare-against-olympia-food-coop/](https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2011/09/10/israeli-consul-standwithus-engage-in-lawfare-against-olympia-food-coop/). [^8]: Center for Constitutional Rights, _Davis v. Cox: Lawfare Amicus Brief_, January 27, 2014, [https://ccrjustice.org/files/2014-01-27_Davisv.Cox_LawfareAmicusBrief.pdf](https://ccrjustice.org/files/2014-01-27_Davisv.Cox_LawfareAmicusBrief.pdf). [^9]: “StandWithUs,” Wikipedia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StandWithUs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StandWithUs). [^10]: “Strategic lawsuit against public participation,” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation). [^11]: “Executive Order 13899,” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13899](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13899). [^12]: _Federal complaint filed against Columbia after Trump gives nod to target political speech on Palestine_, Palestine Legal, December 20, 2019, [https://palestinelegal.org/news/2019/12/20/federal-complaint-filed-against-columbia-after-trump-gives-nod-to-target-political-speech-on-palestine](https://palestinelegal.org/news/2019/12/20/federal-complaint-filed-against-columbia-after-trump-gives-nod-to-target-political-speech-on-palestine). [^13]: Patrick McDonald, “UMich hit with federal civil rights complaint over anti-Semitic course content,” _Campus Reform_, September 24, 2025, [https://www.campusreform.org/article/umich-hit-federal-civil-rights-complaint-anti-semitic-course-content/28671](https://www.campusreform.org/article/umich-hit-federal-civil-rights-complaint-anti-semitic-course-content/28671). [^14]: _Distinguished Point Park professor and Holocaust survivor hit with false harassment claim_, The Lawfare Project, September 29, 2020, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2020/9/29/point-park](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2020/9/29/point-park). [^15]: _Lawsuit Against Carnegie Mellon for Pervasive Anti-Jewish Discrimination and Foreign Funding Scrutiny_, The Lawfare Project, December 13, 2023, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2023/12/13/lawsuit-against-carnegie-mellon-for-pervasive-anti-jewish-discrimination](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2023/12/13/lawsuit-against-carnegie-mellon-for-pervasive-anti-jewish-discrimination). [^16]: _SUNY Downstate Student Dismissed from Program After Reporting Professor’s Antisemitic Comments_, The Lawfare Project, February 6, 2024, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2024/2/12/suny-downstate-student-dismissed-from-program-after-reporting-professors-antisemitic-comments](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2024/2/12/suny-downstate-student-dismissed-from-program-after-reporting-professors-antisemitic-comments). [^17]: _Cooper Union Sued by Lawfare Project and Arnold & Porter_, The Lawfare Project, April 9, 2024, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2024/4/9/cooper-union-sued-by-lawfare-project-and-arnold-amp-porter](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/campus-discrimination/2024/4/9/cooper-union-sued-by-lawfare-project-and-arnold-amp-porter). [^18]: _Supplemental Statement for FARA Registration No. 1750_, filed January 30, 2026, U.S. Department of Justice, Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit, [https://efile.fara.gov/docs/1750-Supplemental-Statement-20260130-45.pdf](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/1750-Supplemental-Statement-20260130-45.pdf). *This document shows Arnold and Porter's recent registration under FARA.* [^19]: Roger J. Mattson, _Stealing the Atom Bomb: How Denial and Deception Armed Israel_ (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), 217, 298. [^20]: _CEO, Canary Mission_, The Lawfare Project, January 14, 2023, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/testimonials/2023/1/14/ceo-canary-mission](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/testimonials/2023/1/14/ceo-canary-mission). [^21]: _From Inside the White House on a Historic Day_, The Lawfare Project, February 2, 2020, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2020/2/2/from-inside-the-white-house-on-a-historic-day](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2020/2/2/from-inside-the-white-house-on-a-historic-day). [^22]: _Imposing Certain Sanctions on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank_, 89 Fed. Reg. 7605 (February 5, 2024), [https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/05/2024-02354/imposing-certain-sanctions-on-persons-undermining-peace-security-and-stability-in-the-west-bank](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/05/2024-02354/imposing-certain-sanctions-on-persons-undermining-peace-security-and-stability-in-the-west-bank). [^23]: _The Lawfare Project Applauds Revocation of Executive Order 14115_, _Jewish News Syndicate_, February 4, 2025, [https://www.jns.org/wire/the-lawfare-project-applauds-revocation-of-executive-order-14115](https://www.jns.org/wire/the-lawfare-project-applauds-revocation-of-executive-order-14115). [^24]: _The Lawfare Project Announces Support of Lawsuit Challenging Biden Administration’s Unlawful Executive Order_, The Lawfare Project, December 13, 2024, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2024/12/17/the-lawfare-project-announces-support-of-lawsuit-challenging-biden-administrations-unlawful-executive-order](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2024/12/17/the-lawfare-project-announces-support-of-lawsuit-challenging-biden-administrations-unlawful-executive-order). [^25]: _Organizations Sign Statement Against Assault of a Student at Temple University_, The Lawfare Project, August 22, 2014, [https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2018/4/3/organizations-sign-statement-against-assault-of-a-student-at-temple-university](https://www.thelawfareproject.org/releases/2018/4/3/organizations-sign-statement-against-assault-of-a-student-at-temple-university). [^26]: _Lawfare Project Inc._, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, [https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272402908](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272402908). [^27]: “UAHC Relocated from 838 Fifth Avenue to Midtown Manhattan,” _Union for Reform Judaism_, https://urj.org/who-we-are/history#1950:~:text=Manheimer%20(b.%201948).-,1998,-UAHC%20Relocated%20from. [^28]: The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, “The Lawfare Project,” _The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation_, [https://www.milsteinff.org/supported-organizations/the-lawfare-project/](https://www.milsteinff.org/supported-organizations/the-lawfare-project/).