Alyza D. Lewin is the President of U.S. Affairs for CAM. She brings over 30 years of experience in the legal profession to this new, key role at CAM. Immediately prior to joining CAM, Alyza served as president of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, where she spearheaded legal and advocacy efforts to protect the civil rights of Jewish students, employees, and other individuals who have experienced antisemitism. While at the Brandeis Center, Alyza led the litigation team that represented Avi Zinger, the Israeli licensee of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and negotiated the successful resolution of Zinger’s lawsuit that prevented Ben & Jerry’s boycott of Israel.
Alyza is also a co-founder and partner in Lewin & Lewin, LLP. In 2014, Alyza argued Zivotofsky v. Kerry (the “Jerusalem Passport” case) before the U.S. Supreme Court, a case involving the constitutionality of a law granting any American citizen born in Jerusalem the right to list “Israel” as the place of birth on his/her U.S. passport. In Zivotofsky, the Supreme Court held that the president of the United States has the exclusive authority to recognize foreign sovereigns. The case paved the way for President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. After 18 years, Lewin brought this pro-bono case to a successful resolution in October 2020, when Secretary of State Pompeo revised the U.S. passport regulations and Ambassador David Friedman presented her client with the very first US passport to list Israel as place of birth for a U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem.
Alyza, together with her father Nathan Lewin, also successfully represented the Boim family in its landmark civil tort litigation, initiated in May 2000, which established the right of American victims of terror to obtain damages under American law against organizations that knowingly provide financial support to international terrorist groups.
Alyza began her law career in Israel where she clerked on the Supreme Court for Deputy President Justice Menachem Elon. She received her B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Alyza served as President of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (“AAJLJ”) from 2012-2017. In January 2020, she was awarded the AAJLJ’s distinguished Pursuit of Justice Award.
Alyza can be reached at alyza@combatantisemitism.org.
