The family of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-born Jewish jurist who coined the term “genocide” and helped draft the 1948 Genocide Convention, has filed a formal complaint with Pennsylvania authorities demanding that a US nonprofit stop using his name.
The letter, submitted with the support of the European Jewish Association, was addressed to Governor Josh Shapiro and to the state’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations. It claims that the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, founded in 2021 and based in Pennsylvania, misuses the name in ways that mislead the public and undermine Lemkin’s legacy.
According to the complaint, the Institute “represents itself as an embodiment of Mr. Lemkin’s ideology,” while its “policies, positions, activities and publications are anathema to Mr. Lemkin’s belief system.” The family’s lawyers cited possible violations of state and federal law, including unauthorized use of a name, false endorsement, and cybersquatting. They stressed that the family never gave permission for the Institute to use the Lemkin name.
Joseph Lemkin, a relative who has spoken on behalf of the family, told The Algemeiner that the relatives first wrote to the Institute requesting a voluntary name change and are still waiting for a response. “We are determined to stop this misuse,” he said. “If necessary, we will take the matter to court.”
The dispute has sharpened because of the Institute’s repeated accusations against Israel. Just days after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, the group accused Israel of committing “genocide,” and more recently it welcomed a UN Commission of Inquiry report making the same allegation. Critics argue that these statements, combined with the use of Lemkin’s name, serve to advance a political agenda disconnected from his original legacy.
"Since 7 October, Israel has carried out a systematic campaign of mass killing against innocent Palestinian civilians, along with the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including housing, cultural and religious sites, and medical facilities. Its military operations have also led to disruptions in the supply of essential services, including water, electricity, and telecommunications. Additionally, the almost three-month siege that has been illegally imposed on the enclave, the effects of which are increased by persistent interruptions in the supply of humanitarian aid, only increases the suffering of the Palestinian population," the institute wrote in one of several reports against the war in Gaza.
"The Lemkin Institute believes that Israel’s retaliation against Palestinians amounts not only to war crimes and crimes against humanity, but also to genocide, as also asserted by, among others, the former Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber," itdeclared.
Jewish leaders and scholars have strongly criticized the Institute, saying that such claims distort the meaning of the very term Lemkin created to describe the destruction of European Jewry during the Holocaust. They argue that labeling Israel’s actions as “genocide” damages the credibility of the concept itself and desecrates Lemkin’s memory.
According to a copy of the complaint reviewed by The Jerusalem Post, the Institute has also issued statements condemning Israel for “terrorism” against Hezbollah, describing Hamas as a response to European imperialism, and accusing the United States of complicity in genocide. The family and the European Jewish Association argue that such positions, made under the Lemkin name, mislead the public, contradict the jurist’s legacy, and may constitute violations of laws concerning misappropriation of name and false advertising.
Responding briefly to the complaint, Institute director Elisa von Joeden-Forgey said the name was chosen in 2021 “to bring his name back into public discourse,” and noted that the organization had asked for clarification on the legal basis of the claims.
Family representatives emphasize that this is not about silencing criticism of Israeli policy but about protecting the integrity of Raphael Lemkin’s legacy. “Any organization has the right to criticize Israel,” their counsel told eJewishPhilanthropy, “but they shouldn’t do it in the name of somebody for whom that would be contrary to his legacy.”
The filing marks the first formal complaint by the Lemkin family to state authorities in Pennsylvania. Relatives say it reflects their determination to protect the name and moral authority of the man who gave the world the concept of genocide. The matter now awaits responses from the governor’s office and the bureau that oversees charities, placing the dispute firmly in the public eye.