Legal dispute emerges over Lemkin Institute naming rights
Can Raphael Lemkin’s relatives force the Lemkin Institute to remove his name?
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, faces a legal challenge from Joseph Lemkin, a relative of Raphael Lemkin—the Polish Jewish lawyer who coined the term "genocide" and championed the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Joseph Lemkin and the European Jewish Association object to the institute's use of Raphael Lemkin's name, citing disagreements over its designation of Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide. They filed a legal memorandum with Pennsylvania authorities in April 2026 and have enlisted Israel's minister of Diaspora Affairs to pressure Gov. Josh Shapiro into investigating the institute's tax-exempt status.
The institute's director says other Lemkin family members, including board member Peter Lemkin, support their work. The institute maintains its analysis reflects Raphael Lemkin's scholarship and denies allegations it defames Israel or supports Hamas and Hezbollah.
