Winograd Initiative will make UM a leader in study and mitigation of hate speech and antisemitism

A bold idea, backed by UM donors, is taking on one of the most entrenched and pernicious problems in our society: hate speech and antisemitism.  

The newly launched Winograd Initiative for the Study of Contemporary Hate Speech & Antisemitism will greatly enhance the work being done on UM campuses to promote peace and justice. Funded by alumni, Chuck and Libby Winograd, this initiative will integrate rigorous research, academic engagement, and community collaboration, to address hate speech and antisemitism.

The Initiative is driven by legal scholar Kenneth Grad who will delve into this context and implications of hateful acts, and how our laws play a critical role in curbing this growing problem. This innovative project comes at a crucial time.

Alumni leadership meets urgent challenge

Hate speech and antisemitism rates continue to rise: hate crime against Jewish people increased 71 per cent in 2022-23 and nationally, police saw a 32 per cent increase in hate crime across Canada in 2022—the third sharpest increase in four years, according to Statistics Canada. And in 2024, B’nai Brith Canada found 6,219 incidents of hate, the highest since 1982, when counting began. Similar trends are reported in the United States as well.

With this backdrop, Chuck and Libby Winograd felt compelled to make an impact and so partnered with UM’s Faculty of Law to create and launch a bold idea that will push against this tide.

“Libby and I are pleased to support this initiative at a time when thoughtful and rigorous research on hate speech and antisemitism is so urgently needed,” said Chuck Winograd. “By making this gift, Libby and I hope that this Initiative will make a positive contribution to legal understanding and public awareness in Canada and beyond.”

A gift for research, education and dialogue

The Winograd Initiative is funded by a $500,000 philanthropic gift to support Dr. Grad’s research into the legal, historical, and societal dimensions of antisemitism and hate speech. His work will explore both the symbolic and practical enforcement of hate speech laws, the role of online platforms in spreading hate, and the Canadian Jewish community’s historic and ongoing advocacy against antisemitism. The Initiative will also support graduate and Juris Doctor student researchers, public education events, and collaborations with national and international scholars.

“We are honoured by the Winograd’s remarkable generosity and their deep commitment to justice and education, and it also exciting to see our scholars being supported,” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law. “The Winograd Initiative will lead scholarship and education at the intersection of law, antisemitism, and human rights. This will help to greatly further research in the field and expand opportunities for students to study and learn in the field.”

The road ahead: from law to community impact

“I am humbled and privileged to be named the designated jurist of the Winograd Initiative,” said Dr. Kenneth Grad. “Thanks to the generous support of Chuck and Libby Winograd, I can continue advancing sustained, interdisciplinary research on the troubling rise of hate speech—an issue that has deeply affected all minority groups, and especially the Jewish community. The Initiative also offers a meaningful opportunity to mentor students and contribute to critical conversations about the role of law in combating hatred and upholding human rights.”

 In addition to producing original research on hate speech and antisemitism, Dr. Grad will lead other activities supported by the Initiative. Notably, he is currently planning the First Annual Winograd Symposium on Law and the Jewish Experience, which will bring together student researchers from across Canada to share ideas and receive feedback from faculty advisors. The inaugural Symposium is planned for early May 2026 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

“This Symposium is the first of its kind and offers a much-needed platform for emerging voices in the field of law and the Jewish experience,” said Dr. Grad. “By encouraging, celebrating, and advancing this work, we hope to cultivate the next generation of leaders dedicated to honouring Jewish life and combating antisemitism.”

Dr. Grad is Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, having joined the Faculty in 2024. His research and teaching focuses on criminal law, evidence, legal history, and human rights. He holds a B.A. (Toronto), M.A. (Queen’s), J.D./Ph.D. (Osgoode), and LL.M. (Harvard). Dr. Grad received many awards for his doctoral research, which studied the efficacy of the criminal sanction and other regulatory measures as tools for combating hate speech. His scholarly writing has been published in numerous academic journals, including the Osgoode Hall Law Journal, Manitoba Law Journal, Canadian Journal of Law and Technology, Criminal Law Quarterly, Canadian Jewish Studies, and FIU Law Review. Dr. Grad is also a contributing author to the casebook Antisemitism and the Law (Robert Katz, ed.; Carolina Press, 2025).