Baruch College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY), is proud to announce the establishment of The Antisemitism Studies Laboratory (The AS Lab) at the Mildred and George Weissman School of Arts & Sciences, under the guidance of the Sandra Kahn Wasserman Jewish Studies Center. This timely initiative led by Joshua Laterman—seed-funded by the Laterman Family Foundation—will bolster research, advance pedagogy, and promote community engagement aimed at countering antisemitism locally, nationally, and globally.
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Baruch College President S. David Wu (2nd from left) announces The Antisemitism Studies Laboratory, backed by the Laterman Family Foundation’s “AddressHate” Initiative, along with Foundation Trustee Joshua Laterman, Dean Jessica Lang (left) of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Sarah Valente, Director of Baruch’s Wasserman Center for Jewish Studies. Photo credit: Baruch College
The inception of The AS Lab at Baruch College will mark the first dedicated academic research center on antisemitism in the CUNY system, underscoring the present urgency to deepen intellectual and public engagement with issues of hate, discrimination, and global conflict at the nation’s largest urban university.
The Laterman Family Foundation has committed $50,000 annually for the next three years to underwrite The AS Lab’s core activities, ensuring a strong foundation for innovative scholarship and programming. With this partnership, Joshua Laterman, who also chairs the “AddressHate” Initiative, recognizes the need for academic centers that rise to meet the phenomenon of antisemitism head on. This is especially pressing among young adults, who are more likely to receive their information and political understanding from the frequently unnuanced and superficial purview of social media—a contemporary experience that lies at the core of “Address Hate’s” mission.
“The ‘AddressHate’ initiative is all about leveraging education and research to combat intolerance and prejudice in the digital age,” said Mr. Laterman, a Trustee of the Laterman Family Foundation. “We are excited to partner with the diverse community at Baruch College on The Antisemitism Studies Lab and believe an urban academic hub like this one is especially well positioned to help shape the next generation of leaders in our ongoing fight against antisemitism. We are grateful to Dr. Sarah Valente, director of the Wasserman Center, for providing the vision in proposing the establishment of The AS Lab.”
“Amid rising antisemitism nationwide, the launch of The AS Lab at Baruch College offers a welcome reminder of why higher education remains an invaluable resource in the movement against hate and toward understanding,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “I look forward to seeing The AS Lab develop into a preeminent center for anti-hate expertise and educational initiatives like ‘AddressHate.’ On behalf of the CUNY community, I want to thank Baruch College Fund Trustee Joshua Laterman for this timely initiative, which builds on his father Bernard ’s commitment to fighting antisemitism, and express gratitude to the Laterman Family Foundation for a 70-year partnership that has helped uplift countless CUNY students.”
“Baruch College is profoundly grateful to the Laterman Family Foundation for this extraordinary and timely gift,” said Baruch College President S. David Wu. “At a moment when combating antisemitism requires bold ideas, rigorous scholarship, and collaborative actions, this support will make a meaningful difference. For nearly a decade, Baruch has demonstrated a deep commitment to Jewish culture and history through our Sandra K. Wasserman Jewish Studies Center, which will lead the new Antisemitism Studies Laboratory. This transformative gift builds on the Center’s legacy of education and impactful programming, empowering us to engage more deeply and effectively in the global fight against antisemitism. I am especially grateful to Joshua Laterman—Trustee of the Foundation and a valued member of the Baruch College Fund’s Board, for his leadership and unwavering commitment to this essential work.”
“I welcome the news of the creation of The Antisemitism Studies Laboratory as part of the excellent Wasserman Jewish Studies Center at CUNY’s Baruch College, right here in Manhattan in my Congressional District. This innovative and critically important new initiative is sadly desperately needed due to the unprecedented spike in antisemitism in America today, and I am proud that New York is rising to meet this difficult challenge,” U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler said. “I believe The AS Lab at Baruch College will pioneer groundbreaking research and analysis that will foster cutting-edge approaches to the age-old hatred that is antisemitism, all while developing and attracting world-class experts to our extraordinary Manhattan community. I thank all who were involved in the creation and support of this new center of excellence, and I look forward to collaborating with The AS Lab on how the Federal, State and City government can do even more to purge the scourge of antisemitism.”
“I am pleased to welcome the opening of the Baruch College Antisemitism Studies Laboratory in my district,” said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein. “This will be the first dedicated academic research center on antisemitism in the CUNY system. It is vital that we fight forces of hate and discrimination and work to enhance knowledge and understanding.
"Students deserve to feel safe on their college campus, and we’ve been proud to work across elected offices and with Baruch to address concerns about antisemitism. The opening of The Antisemitism Studies Lab is an important step towards addressing those concerns and promoting campus unity,” said State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “Thank you to the Laterman Family Foundation, Baruch College, and the CUNY system for their commitment to preventing the spread of antisemitism and investing in this project.”
“In the wake of rising antisemitism, the launch of The Antisemitism Studies Lab and educational initiatives like ‘AddressHate’ is an important effort to teach college communities to reject hate and embrace a world of compassion.” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.
“As incidents of antisemitism are being reported at record highs, Baruch College is taking meaningful and needed action to address ongoing concerns from residents and students. By establishing The Antisemitism Studies Laboratory, Baruch is not only strengthening research and education on antisemitism but also helping to equip the next generation of students, scholars, and community leaders with the tools to combat hate and discrimination. I commend Baruch College, the Laterman Family Foundation, and all those involved for their leadership and dedication to this urgent work,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera.
“With a resurgence of antisemitism nationally and on the streets of New York, we desperately need to understand how antisemitism starts and spreads, an effort the Baruch College Antisemitism Studies Laboratory will be integral to. The three-pronged approach of research, student engagement, and community partnerships will ensure The AS Lab is able to widely tackle antisemitism and other forms of hate,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “I’m grateful to the Laterman Family Foundation for their investment in and leadership on anti-hate studies.”
A vital component of this launch is The AS Lab’s alignment with “AddressHate,” which stands out as the only organization that currently tackles this issue exclusively from a technological standpoint. By leveraging both proprietary and existing technology, “AddressHate” addresses social media hate—identifying where such resentment originates, how it is propagated, and how technological tools can be deployed to combat it. The AS Lab’s scholarly application of these methods will help strengthen the Laterman Family Foundation focus on digital hate, offering students and researchers emerging methods and frameworks necessary to understand, track, and ultimately mitigate antisemitism.
Recent years have seen the establishment of numerous centers at campuses across the US dedicated to understanding and addressing this trend. From long-standing institutions such as the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at Indiana University Bloomington and the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism, to newly formed centers at the University of Michigan, NYU, and the USC Shoah Foundation, academic interest in exploring the roots, manifestations, and impacts of antisemitism has grown substantially. The AS Lab at Baruch College will now be able to join, and greatly contribute to, this national conversation.
The Antisemitism Studies Lab: A Three-Pronged Approach
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Research
Funded exclusively by private contributions, The AS Lab will support affiliated faculty and visiting scholars who explore contemporary manifestations of antisemitism, with a focus on social media studies, discourse analysis, data science, communication, journalism, political science, and public policy. Fellows and invited researchers can convene for seminars, lectures, and working paper discussions, expanding the dialogue on effective strategies to address hate and foster inclusive communities. -
Student Engagement
The AS Lab will serve as a dynamic educational hub, offering internships, externships, and independent study opportunities to students across Baruch’s three schools—Zicklin School of Business, Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, and Weissman School of Arts & Sciences. Whether through credit-bearing independent research or paid research assistantships, students will examine the history and current expressions of antisemitism, collaborate with faculty, and partner with external organizations committed to countering antisemitism. -
Community Partnerships
Recognizing that the fight against antisemitism extends far beyond campus borders, The AS Lab will aim to build strategic alliances with a range of local organizations that share its mission. These partnerships will connect Baruch students with community-based learning experiences, preparing them to identify and meaningfully confront hateful ideologies of all kinds. Through real-world engagement such as internships, externships, and collaborative research projects, The AS Lab students will gain tools for cultivating effective collaboration, inclusive leadership, and an in-depth understanding of community needs.
About the Laterman Family Foundation
Founded by the late Bernard Laterman and Frances Iger Laterman, the purpose of the Laterman Family Foundation is to support religious, charitable, scientific, literary, public education, and educational charities and institutions. The majority of the Foundation’s annual gift-giving are for the promotion of the Jewish faith, the welfare of the Jewish people, and the support of medical, educational, cultural, and philanthropic organizations.
About AddressHate
With the inclusion of Joshua Laterman’s children whose acute awareness of the growth of hate online as the spur, in September 2024, Mr. Laterman and the Laterman Family Foundation created the “Laterman Family Foundation AddressHate Initiative” with the philanthropic grant of $1 million dollars to fight antisemitism and hate on social media. The goal of AddressHate is to maximize technology to identify the sources of hate, root out the technological vehicles for their advancement and spread, and find technological solutions to thwart and thus end hate. For more information, please visit: www.AddressHate.org
About Baruch College
Bernard M. Baruch College of The City University of New York—renowned for its rich tradition of academic excellence, accessibility, and outcomes—is an ambition accelerator providing students with an exceptional education that propels their drive to succeed. Our mission is to serve as a place of opportunity and exploration where students, faculty, and staff transform their futures, their professions, and their communities.
At Baruch, the success of our 20,000+ students is the responsibility and focus of every member of the community. Located in New York City, Baruch College has one of most diverse college campuses in the nation and is home to three nationally ranked schools—the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and Zicklin School of Business. For more information, visit us at baruch.cuny.edu.
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Contacts
Media: Suzanne Bronski / suzanne.bronski@baruch.cuny.edu
