A prominent legal organization has accused Microsoft of violating federal anti-discrimination laws by allegedly fostering “widespread anti-Semitism” within its workplace. The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law issued a letter on Monday, warning the tech giant of impending legal action unless it addresses the concerns raised.
The Brandeis Center’s letter highlights Microsoft’s refusal to permit the establishment of a Jewish Employee Resource Group (ERG), despite funding nine other ERGs representing various racial and ethnic groups, including “Asians at Microsoft,” “Blacks at Microsoft,” and “Hispanic and Latinx Organization of Leaders in Action.” The center argues that this exclusion is illegal and contributes to a hostile environment for Jewish employees.
Rory Lancman, the Brandeis Center’s director of corporate initiatives and senior counsel, emphasized the necessity of a Jewish ERG, stating that Jewish employees lack the tools to effectively address workplace anti-Semitism. He noted that Microsoft’s existing “Interfaith ERG” included non-Jewish employees who made statements such as, “they should expect people to blame Jews for what Israel was doing,” and that Jews should stop complaining about anti-Semitism because “Christians and Arabs face more and worse in the world.”
Following Hamas’s October 7 attack against Israel, Microsoft employees reportedly used the company’s internal messaging platform to post slogans like “from the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” accuse Israel of being an apartheid state, and deny a Jewish right to self-determination. The Brandeis Center also cited incidents of graffiti on campus, inappropriate speakers at employee events, and anti-Israel protests and disruptions as evidence of a discriminatory environment.
The center contends that Microsoft’s policies have left Jewish employees at a disadvantage and allowed anti-Semitism to fester within the company. The letter asserts, “Jewish and non-Jewish employees must be provided ERGs on the same terms and conditions as other employees at Microsoft regardless of their ethnicity or shared ancestry. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the law.”
Lancman further criticized Microsoft’s diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, stating that they are often responsible for “encouraging or fomenting” anti-Semitism. He emphasized the legal obligation to recognize Jews as an ethnic group under federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws, asserting, “Jews are an ethnicity under the law, and ethnicities are protected by federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws.”
