Accuracy in Media launches campaign to expose antisemitic records of Debevoise & Plimpton employees
October 28, 2024
Accuracy in Media is taking action Monday to expose the antisemitic records of two former Columbia Law School students, Avery Bashe and Tess Kim, who are now employed at the prestigious New York law firm Debevoise & Plimpton.
The organization has deployed mobile billboards to Debevoise & Plimpton’s Manhattan office, aiming to shine a spotlight on the antisemitic activities of these hires and to ensure their colleagues and clients are fully aware of their troubling histories.
Both Bashe and Kim, prominent leaders in two Columbia University student organizations, played key roles in the wave of antisemitic activity that plagued the Columbia campus last year. Bashe co-led the Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, while Kim was the social chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. These organizations signed a statement condemning Israel for the recent acts of violence against its citizens—an action that promoted antisemitic rhetoric under the guise of student activism.
Today’s billboard deployment outside Debevoise & Plimpton’s office is the latest effort in AIM’s ongoing campaign against antisemitism at Columbia University and beyond. In the wake of an October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, AIM has repeatedly mobilized mobile billboards across Columbia’s campus to expose what it claims are widespread and unaddressed antisemitic behaviors among the university’s students and leadership. This push also included the launch of ColumbiaHatesJews.com, a site that has enabled activists to send tens of thousands of emails to the university’s Board of Trustees, demanding action and accountability. Former Columbia President Minouche Shafik ultimately resigned on August 14, 2024, following AIM’s campaign.
Through websites AveryBashe.net and TessKim.net, AIM is inviting concerned citizens to voice their opposition directly to Debevoise & Plimpton, demanding that the firm take a stand against hate by reconsidering Bashe and Kim’s employment. AIM President Adam Guillette reinforced the message, emphasizing that the organization will continue to expose antisemitic views wherever they exist.
As the billboards take to the streets of New York, the organization reaffirms our commitment to hold individuals accountable for antisemitic views and to defend the integrity of educational and professional institutions alike. AIM’s initiative underscores its firm stance that these views should not be tolerated in academic or professional settings, pushing for change one billboard at a time.