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Lemkin Family Files Complaint Against Genocide Prevention Institute Over Use of Name
The family of Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide after losing most of his relatives in the Holocaust, has filed a formal complaint with Pennsylvania officials alongside the European Jewish Association. The complaint targets the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, arguing the organization has misused the name to accuse Israel of genocide following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
May 10, 8:00 AM·2m read1 source
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The family of Raphael Lemkin has filed a formal complaint with Pennsylvania officials and state regulators alongside the European Jewish Association regarding the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit. Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jewish jurist, coined the term "genocide" after losing nearly his entire family in the Holocaust.
He worked to create legal frameworks to prevent such crimes. The family argues the institute has appropriated his name and legacy to support positions that oppose his views as a committed Zionist. The complaint states the matter involves the theft and weaponization of a Holocaust survivor's legacy against his own people.
It was filed in response to the institute's statements accusing Israel of genocide after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, which the family describes as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. A relative named Joseph Lemkin said his teenage son discovered the institute's social media posts, which included warnings of "trans genocide" and equivocation following the Oct.
7 attacks. The relative stated the organization functions as an agenda-driven operation rather than a neutral academic body. The institute's website offers merchandise featuring political symbols, including Palestinian flag paraphernalia, alongside quotes attributed to Lemkin.
The family and the European Jewish Association argue this creates the impression of endorsement by Lemkin.
The complaint raises questions about whether a nonprofit can use the name of a historical figure without authorization when that use suggests endorsement. It also asks whether posthumous rights of publicity apply to figures like Lemkin whose legacy holds moral significance.
