Advisory Council
Dr. Linda Maizels is the Managing Director of the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism (YPSA). She published What is Antisemitism? A Contemporary Introduction with Routledge in 2022. Her doctoral dissertation, “Charter Members of the Fourth World”: Jewish Student Identity and the “New Antisemitism” on American Campuses, 1967-1994, examined the historical roots of contemporary campus antisemitism in the United States, and her master’s thesis, The Universal Nature of Hatred: Keith Stimely and the Culture of Holocaust Denial, focused on the internal dynamics of the right-wing Institute for Historical Review, an organization known for promoting Holocaust denial by masking it as a “scholarly” endeavor. Dr. Maizels taught at Portland State University, Colby College, and the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership; is a member of the Advisory Council for the Brandeis University Presidential Initiative to Counter Antisemitism in Higher Education; and is a Research Fellow at both the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. Previous to her employment at Yale, she worked for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. Department of State and was also a Franklin Fellow for the Department’s Bureau of African Affairs.
Rabbi Yehudah Potok is the Director of the Jewish Education Program at Facing History and Ourselves, where he leads organizational efforts in Jewish educational settings. He is also the Project Lead for Facing History’s Contemporary Antisemitism Initiative. Prior to joining Facing History, for over two decades, Yehudah worked in Jewish education settings such as camps, congregational schools, and day schools. Most recently, he served as a head of school for 12 years. He has written and lectured on various topics regarding organizational change, school culture, educational technology, contemporary antisemitism, and the future of Holocaust education.
Mark Rotenberg oversees Hillel's Campus Climate Initiative, working across the U.S. with Hillel professionals and higher education leaders to ensure a campus environment in which every student can feel comfortable learning about and identifying with Judaism and Israel. Mark has spent most of his professional career on university campuses, serving as the general counsel at the University of Minnesota and at Johns Hopkins University. In those positions, he provided strategic counsel and policy advice to university boards, presidents, chancellors and other senior officers. A seasoned university educator, Mark currently is an adjunct professor of law at American University in Washington, taught at the University of Minnesota for over 20 years, and was a visiting professor of law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has argued and won cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and many other judicial forums. Mark received his BA from Brandeis University, and JD, M.Phil., and MA from Columbia Law School and the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Leonard Saxe, PhD, is a social psychologist with broad interests in the application of social science theory and research to policy problems. His current work focuses on the socio-demography of American Jewry, religious identity and issues of antisemitism, engagement with Israel, and relationships among members of diverse religious and ethnic groups. He writes both for scholarly and public audiences and his publications include books about Jewish summer camping and Birthright Israel. Prior to his focus on the Jewish community, he led major research programs on mental health and substance abuse issues. He has been a Science Fellow for the United States Congress and a Fulbright Professor at Haifa University, Israel. In 1989, he received the American Psychological Association’s award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest (early career). In 2012, he received the Association for the Scientific Study of Jewry’s Marshall Sklare Award, for his contributions to the understanding of Jewish life.
Clara Schwartz focuses on building relationships with Jewish and non-Jewish organizations to further advance FCAS’ mission to raise awareness about modern day antisemitism. Prior to joining FCAS, Clara held several instrumental roles at MassChallenge, the global network for innovators working to solve massive challenges, where she led engagement efforts with key external stakeholders to drive multi-million-dollar revenue achieving initiatives for the organization. Clara previously served as the Social-Secretary to Israel’s Ambassadors to the United States Ron Dermer and Michael Oren at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C.
Mark G. Yudof received his BA and LLB degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. After serving as a law clerk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, he spent two years at the Harvard Center for Law and Education. For 26 years he held various posts at the University of Texas, including professor of law, dean, and provost. He subsequently served as president of the University of Minnesota, chancellor of the University of Texas System, and president of the University of California. He currently serves as chair of the strategic planning and budget committee of the Academic Engagement Network. His spouse is Judy Yudof, former international president of United Synagogue and currently co-chair of the advisory board for the Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies at Berkeley.