A “child of the ‘60s” inspired by the civil rights movement, Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice, always knew that he wanted to fight for people to have equal rights in the legal arena.
He expressed his gratitude to his parents, both of whom came from Jackson, Mississippi, for raising him in a Baptist home that welcomed people of all faiths and ethnicities. He recalled how his family had Jewish doctors and lawyers. He told the Magazine, “We had an open door. We didn’t see color or religion, we just saw friends.”
Although Terrell grew up in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, he said the schools he attended “were initially segregated but they were integrated, so I had tremendous early exposure.” He attended Gardena Senior High School in Southern California, which he described as “the United Nations, a combination of every ethnic group.”
Despite being educated in a multicultural environment, he still experienced racism. “I knew for a fact that kids were segregated based on race. I saw that, I experienced that,” Terrell said. “It was a blessing of having all different types, people in school, but you also saw some people who didn’t understand or appreciate different ethnic differences.” He remembered becoming aware of antisemitism in high school and how it bothered him when derogatory terms toward others were used.
Terrell was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the coalition of Blacks and Jews uniting for equal rights. He referenced the tragic murder of activists Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney, who were investigating the burning of a Black church in Mississippi when they were killed by the Ku Klux Klan. He spoke about how Jewish leaders traveled down South to advocate for Black civil rights, and how Henry Moskowitz, Rabbi Emil Hirsch, Rabbi Stephen Wise, and Lillian Wald co-founded the NAACP in 1909.
After majoring in political science at California State University Dominguez Hills, Terrell earned a master’s degree in education from Pepperdine University and taught middle and high school classes at public schools in Los Angeles for eight years. He received his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which he now calls “an embarrassment” because of the many antisemitic incidents that have occurred on campus since Oct. 7.
Terrell's vast experience fighting discrimination prepared him for his role today. In the 1990s, he was an appointed member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Advisory Council and co-chair of a statewide commission against hate crimes in California. On February 3, 2025, President Donald Trump appointed Terrell as chair of the Department of Justice Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
Expressing his gratitude to President Trump, Terrell said, “This man has given me the authority, under executive order, to head this task force…For those who believe in freedom of religion, we have a unicorn in the White House…If Trump was not in the White House, we would be in trouble.” He called Trump “the best friend in the White House the Jewish community ever had; the best friend in the White House Israel’s ever had.”
Terrell referred to the extreme rise in antisemitism today as “historic,” and called it “a wake-up call to America and Western civilization.” He said his phone “never stops ringing about antisemitism.”
He described how he and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are on the same page. “You’ve got two people who are not Jewish who understand what the war is all about on fighting antisemitism,” Terrell said.
He expressed how his biggest concern is that the fight against antisemitism doesn’t stop when Trump’s presidency is over. “It is critical that we set up guardrails to make sure that the Jewish community is protected… [so] any incoming president has to make sure they’re committed to these obligations to protect Jewish Americans,” Terrell said he left his position at Fox News as a contributor and legal analyst because of Trump’s commitment to fighting antisemitism. “He has given me a green light to do everything I can.”
As head of the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, Terrell is spearheading investigations into 10 universities, including his alma mater, UCLA, for failing to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination. The task force is also examining Harvard University, Columbia University, New York University, George Washington University, University of Southern California, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On Fox News’ Life, Liberty & Levin, Terrell told host Mark Levin, “We are suing every one of these universities guilty of antisemitism. Under Title VI, we’re taking away their money….We’re going to bankrupt these universities. We’re going to take away every single federal dollar.”
Terrell explained that he is investigating antisemitism in elementary and high schools because “what they have done to our universities over the last two decades, they have now focused on K-12.” Terrell called this “an organized plan” and said that school districts have been “hijacked with antisemitic curriculums.” He referred to this as “a two-front war” because of the power teachers’ unions have to influence curriculums. He also noted that 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations engaging in discriminatory conduct are infiltrating school systems.
Terrell urges people to take action at the local level by reporting antisemitic incidents to their local city attorney’s office, school districts, and legislative and congressional leaders. Terrell stated, “I’m in Washington at 30,000 feet… If these local universities and school districts do not take proper action protecting Jewish Americans, then the federal government comes in, but it takes such a long time to happen.”
A big obstacle, he said, is that “these local blue cities have basically turned their backs on the Jewish community… There’s no prosecution of these crimes as what they are, hate crimes.” His solution is to establish a national “rapid response team,” with point people on the ground in these cities reporting discriminatory incidents directly to the federal government. “Sometimes just a letter from the Department of Justice works wonders. If they know we’re on it, then they start thinking twice about it,” he said.
Terrell also has plans to implement a Black Summit for Black pastors and community leaders who support Israel. He believes “many Black Americans have the same feelings that I have about the Jewish community. They’re just being drowned out by a very large, loud Left that has taken over the Democrat Party.” Terrell said that he left the Democratic Party seven years ago because “it was not the same party that I grew up with and appreciated.”
Noting that antisemitism is rapidly pervading both sides of the political spectrum, Terrell acknowledged that, while people have a right to express discriminatory and false views, we can combat that by “more speech to combat hate speech.”
Fighting antisemitism, Terrell insists, “is personal to me.” Terrell’s close, positive relationships with Jewish people from an early age left an indelible impression on him, prompting him to rise up against injustice and hatred.
“I don’t know if you can tell by my voice inflection, I’m very passionate about fighting antisemitism,” he said. Terrell described how, when he was 14, he said that he was 16 so he could work at McDonald’s. The owner [of the branch], Arnold Levitan, was Jewish. “He was my first boss, and he was a mentor, an employer, and a friend. He’s a great man. I owe a lot to him – leadership skills – I learned so much from him.” He added, “I’ve had a love affair with the Jewish community since I got my first job at McDonald’s.”
While Terrell was attending UCLA law school, he worked for a Jewish private practitioner who took him in after he graduated and gave him his own private practice at 8383 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. “He welcomed me into his building, his suite, rented a space out to me, and that’s how I got my start – with the help of a Jewish lawyer.” Terrell added, “The practice was all Jewish lawyers… They welcomed me with open arms, and they helped me. My impact and relationship with the Jewish community has been long in my life.”
From civil rights roots to legal advocacy
Leah Goldin, the mother of Hadar, 23, who was a lieutenant in the Givati Brigade, told the Magazine how honored she was to meet “Dear Leo” in Washington last year at his office with her eldest son, Hemi, after the Israeli Embassy introduced them. She said that Terrell was very moved upon hearing about how Hadar’s body was held hostage in Gaza for over 11 years after he was killed by Hamas terrorists during a ceasefire violation in the Gaza war on August 1, 2014.
The next day, she gifted Terrell with one of Hadar’s paintings of a beautiful, serene sunrise when she met with him again at his Washington office with her husband, Simcha. Terrell said, “On my desk is a portrait that her son did. It’s on my desk right now.”
Goldin said that she remembers Terrell telling her that he was going to wear a baseball cap with Hadar’s name across it so that people would ask him about it, and he could explain how important it is for Hadar to be brought home for a proper burial. She recalled, “A month later, he started sending videos of himself appearing at different events…with decision-makers… wearing this hat and talking about Hadar and the hostages.”
Terrell said, “I wanted to make sure Hadar Goldin is never forgotten. I wore a red cap that says ‘Hadar Goldin’ on every TV appearance, at every event. I gave her three of them.”
Goldin said, “He has his heart in the right place… I believe it helped. At the end of the day, all those people actually managed to move a wall… He didn’t give up.”
Terrell was wearing his hat for Hadar when attorney Marc Kasowitz awarded Terrell with the Robert Kasowitz Defender of Jewish Civil Rights Award at The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)’s 2025 Superstar Gala on November 9, 2025. Terrell recalled, “And on that night, I took the hat off because he was returned.” During an emotional speech at the event, Terrell held back tears as he removed the hat and said, “He’s home.”
Goldin saw Terrell again at the opening of the exhibition Hadar Goldin: The Final Peace, which showcased her son’s colorful, sensitively portrayed paintings and drawings at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington in Rockville, Maryland, on January 13, 2026. The following day, Terrell prepared a small brunch for Goldin, her husband, and Hadar’s twin brother, Tzur, at his office. “It felt like family,” Goldin said.
Later that month, Terrell arrived in Israel on January 24, 2026, where he reunited with the Goldin family. Terrell stated, “It was my first trip [to Israel]. People said you would never be the same, and they were right. It was unbelievable.”
A mission against rising antisemitism
On January 25, 2026, Terrell was awarded the King David Award at the Dan Family Aish World Center in Jerusalem, in recognition of his brave advocacy for the Jewish people and Israel, and his fierce dedication to protecting Jewish American college students against antisemitism.
Rabbi Elliot Mathias, Aish’s director of programming and partnerships, presented him with the award. Mathias told the Magazine how Terrell was “the perfect candidate to give the award to…He’s willing to stand up against incredibly powerful institutions and people, and he’s not afraid to tell them this is the right thing to do.”
Mathias said that Terrell expressed a great interest in meeting with American students who are studying in Israel. There are some 400 full-time students at Aish, many of whom are from the US and are around college age. Mathias observed, “They were all speaking to him and taking pictures with him, and you just see that he’s so genuine…This is what he’s fighting for…young Jewish students on campuses who are being bullied and being discriminated against, and he really feels passionate about it.”
Terrell has a natural affinity for educating young people because he thinks of himself as “a better teacher than a lawyer.” He described being “mobbed with thanks” by the students. Sounding overwhelmed with emotion, he said, “There are no words to describe it.”
On January 26, 2025, at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, Terrell was honored with Israel’s annual Beacon of Truth Award for his efforts and commitment to combating antisemitism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in attendance, and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli presented him with the award. He highlighted how Terrell’s leadership and moral clarity have “produced tangible, on-the-ground impact and earned him broad recognition among Jewish communities, elected officials, and public figures in the United States and around the world.”
Terrell commented that receiving the award was a humbling experience, and described how he felt such a strong bond and mutual appreciation with the people in Israel. “This is unbelievable. I never felt this before… I was mobbed – not in one place, every place,” he said.
Another family close to Terrell’s heart is the family of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, 24, the last hostage, who was laid to rest in his hometown of Meital after his body had been held in Gaza for 843 days.
His mother, Talik, recounted that when Ran received text messages about terror attacks at 6:41 a.m. on Oct. 7, he bravely rushed to assist his fellow Israel Police officers, even though he was on medical leave because of a broken shoulder.
Ran reportedly eliminated 14 terrorists at Kibbutz Alumim, with dozens more found dead around him, killed by his weapon. Survivors of the kibbutz call him “The Shield of Alumim.” His mother said he was “very, very strong” and compared him to Samson in the Bible. Like Ran, Samson was also captured by his enemies. Talik sent a map to the Magazine, showing how Ran was found by the IDF in Mount Samson.
Talik’s daughter, Shira, met Terrell in Washington at the Israeli Embassy on December 18, 2025, when she was invited to light the hanukkiah. Talik relayed, “You don’t understand how amazing he was. He was so kind to her.” She remembered how Shira called her and said, “Mama, I feel like I have a new friend.”
Shira described how Terrell stood up and applauded for her as she lit the Hanukkah candles, and then everyone followed suit. “I’m not going to forget this meeting ever… It was amazing. He is such a great man,” she affirmed.
On January 26, 2026, Shira was invited to join Terrell for a dinner in Israel with released hostages, the same night she found out that her brother was being brought home. She and her parents asked Terrell if he would like to speak at Ran’s funeral, held two days later. Thousands of people honored Ran at the funeral, including Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Expressing her gratitude to Terrell, Shira said, “He gave a beautiful speech. I will never forget it… I think I must give him a big hug right now.” She disclosed that, although Terrell never told her, she believes he was instrumental in bringing her brother home. “They didn’t give up on Raniat,” she said. “I think he is still alive in my heart.”
Terrell will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best friends the Jewish people have ever had. ■