Lemkin Family Member Seeks to Remove Name from Group Accusing Israel of Genocide

A relative of Raphael Lemkin, the Jewish lawyer who coined the term "genocide," is seeking to have his family name removed from a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization that accuses Israel of perpetrating genocide in Gaza. Joseph Lemkin, whose father was Raphael’s cousin and a Holocaust survivor, stated that the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security is misrepresenting his relative's legacy.

The institute has warned of genocide in Gaza since October 13, 2023, less than a week after Hamas attacks killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages. On October 28, 2023, the institute issued a statement asserting that the U.S. and Israel were committing genocide in Gaza, echoing accusations made against Armenians in Artsakh. The institute warned that if unchecked, such actions could lead to genocide becoming a normalized policy for both dictatorships and democracies.

Joseph Lemkin, who was deeply affected by his father's Holocaust survival, expressed concern after his son encountered a social media post from the institute using the family name to accuse Israel of genocide. "Seeing the impact and how my son came across it made me really more concerned about it," Lemkin said.

In an effort to prevent the family name from being misrepresented, Lemkin has collaborated with the European Jewish Association (EJA) to submit a formal complaint to the office of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the state's Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. In April 2025, Lemkin and the EJA submitted a 32-page legal submission with a 58-page evidentiary appendix in response to a request for more information from Shapiro's office. Pennsylvania's Department of State confirmed receipt of the complaint but declined to comment on whether an investigation has been opened.

Conversely, the Lemkin Institute defended its use of the name, stating in an October 2025 press release that Raphael Lemkin would likely have recognized the genocidal dynamics of the conflict given his definition of the term. The institute also asserted that Joseph Lemkin does not speak for the entire Lemkin family, noting that other family members have expressed support for their work. Peter Lemkin, who was reportedly close to Raphael Lemkin, has been cited by the institute as being supportive.

The institute, founded in 2016 or 2017 and renamed in honor of Raphael Lemkin in 2021, stated that because Raphael Lemkin died without heirs or an estate, there was no official representative to contact for permission to use his name. They further claim that Joseph Lemkin has expressed disagreement with their work, and that "there is no legal battle between the Lemkin Institute and the Lemkin family."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the institute reiterated that members of the Lemkin family have reached out to express support for their mission. The institute's stated purpose is to address gaps in genocide prevention, drawing on their founders' observations from visits to Northern Iraq in 2016 and 2017, where they met with survivors of ISIS genocide. Their work aims to prevent genocide against numerous groups, including Jewish people, Palestinians, Armenians, and others worldwide.

Israeli civil rights attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of the Shurat HaDin Law Center, commented that the core issue is whether the institute has a lawful right to use Raphael Lemkin’s name in a way that implies endorsement or fidelity to his beliefs. She noted that appropriation of a name can become legally actionable if it misleads donors, creates a false impression of endorsement, or constitutes deceptive solicitation.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, historian Sir Simon Schama characterized accusations of genocide against Israel as a "blood libel." The Lemkin Institute has continued to publish reports alleging genocide by Israel, stating in May 2024 that "even if there were legitimate doubts about Israel’s genocide, there is no doubt that Israel is committing atrocity crimes of the most barbaric kind." The institute also criticized Western leaders for supporting an ally committing atrocity crimes.