ADL Jurisprudence Breakfast Honors Berry

The inaugural honoree for the Anti-Defamation League’s Jurisprudence Breakfast was Jeremy Berry, city attorney of Brookhaven and partner at Chilivis Grubman Warner, Berry & LLP. Berry was honored for his outstanding leadership, commitment to fighting antisemitism, and contribution to the Jewish community.

The King and Spalding law firm, which has been a big supporter of ADL and its causes, hosted the breakfast. Keynote speaker James Pasch has been trying to launch legal efforts in federal court against harassment and violent cases of antisemitism against Jewish students on U.S. campuses, on the streets, and at the workplace.

Berry, who graduated from Emory Law School, has always been active in the Atlanta Jewish community while serving as Brookhaven’s city attorney and while practicing in his private law firm. Post-Oct. 7, many residents of Brookhaven and other areas of metro Atlanta received disturbing flyers with hate messages against Jewish residents. Several of those residents were Berry’s friends and neighbors, and he decided to take legal action against it and the Goyim Defense League, the group responsible for distributing the flyers.

The ADL’s legal work focuses on four actions: educate, advocate, litigate, and investigate. The rise of antisemitism following Oct 7 has reached new levels. ADL has filed 180 cases in the last year-and-a-half on behalf of victims who were severely hurt with broken bones, broken noses, concussions, cuts, and much more. An effort has also been made to hold accountable organizations and higher learning institutions.

In one of the cases, the defense brought before the judge a motion that it was a political statement against Zionism, justifying the violence. That motion was ultimately overruled by the judge and the case went to trial. The practice of peaceful demonstration is not imposed, but the law must enforce that protesters are not allowed to use violence, threats, and intimidation against Jewish people physically as well as online.

The ADL has partnered with Crowell, a leading global firm in international terrorism cases, to file a lawsuit against Iran, Syria, and North Korea for providing materials to support Hamas. A lawsuit is the most direct way to establish Iran’s responsibility for Hamas’ terror actions. This is a groundbreaking case for ADL and helps provide a crucial national and international step in legally representing the victims of the heinous, brutal attacks and atrocities that Hamas has perpetuated.