Relative of Raphael Lemkin, who coined word ‘genocide,’ says ‘anti-Israel’ Lemkin Institute ignoring him

A cousin of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Jewish lawyer who coined the term “genocide” to describe the Nazis’ mass murder of Jews, says a US institute named after Lemkin has ignored a request from family members to change its name due to its hostility to Israel.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, in Pennsylvania, accused Israel of genocide 10 days after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel, before the Israel Defense Forces had started ground operations in Gaza.

Joseph Lemkin, whose father was Raphael Lemkin’s first cousin, formally requested that the institute change its name in September, saying the institute was not authorized to use Lemkin’s name and accusing it of promoting an “anti-Israel agenda.” The European Jewish Association joined Joseph Lemkin in the effort.

A spokesperson for the family says Joseph Lemkin is representing his mother, brothers, and cousins.

“The Lemkin Institute, through its very name, as well as its marketing and other materials, represents itself as an embodiment of Mr. Lemkin’s ideology. In reality, the Lemkin Institute’s policies, positions, activities, and publications are anathema to Mr. Lemkin’s belief system,” the letter said.

The letter was sent to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, and to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, and asked for an investigation into whether the Lemkin Institute was “improperly using Mr. Lemkin’s name and likeness under law.” It requested a halt to the institute’s use of his name.

In a follow-up letter bearing today’s date and obtained by The Times of Israel, lawyers representing Joseph Lemkin and the European Jewish Association say their request has been ignored.

Family of Raphael Lemkin, the Jewish lawyer who coined the term 'genocide,' says its request to have the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention change its name is being ignored. The institute accused Israel of genocide shortly after Oct. 7 pic.twitter.com/AKtLDNmGDq

— Luke Tress (@luketress) February 2, 2026

“We have not received a response to our letter and write now as a follow up,” the letter says.

“Please advise whether an investigation into whether the Lemkin Institute is improperly using Mr. Lemkin’s name and likeness under law has begun, and the results of your investigation, including what remedial actions have been taken,” says the letter, also sent to Shapiro and the state’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.

The Lemkin Institute tells The Times of Israel that Joseph Lemkin “communicated through a law firm and we responded that we were open to discussing the name, but we never heard from him or that law firm again.”

“There was no effort on the part of Joseph Lemkin or the European Jewish Association to inform us about the letter,” the institute says regarding today’s letter. “They seem interested in a political campaign against us rather than a resolution.”

“We do have supporters in the Lemkin family, such as Peter Lemkin in Prague,” the institute adds. “There is no singular family position.”