Lemkin family challenges nonprofit's use of genocide founder's name
The relatives of Raphael Lemkin have lodged a formal complaint in Pennsylvania over a nonprofit that appropriated his name without permission.
Raphael Lemkin, who created the term "genocide" in 1944 and helped draft the 1948 Genocide Convention, has no connection to the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, a Pennsylvania nonprofit that adopted his surname for its activities. The institute has used the name to publish alerts accusing U.S. immigration enforcement and other governments of genocide, and after the October 7, 2023 attacks it called Israel guilty of genocide.
The Lemkin family sent a cease-and-desist letter in February 2025, which the institute dismissed and subsequently branded the family as deniers. The family then filed a complaint with Governor Josh Shapiro’s office and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations, seeking to force a name change while allowing the institute to retain its viewpoints. The dispute highlights tensions over the use of a historically significant name for advocacy and fundraising.
Why it matters
It raises questions about trademark rights, charitable transparency, and the misuse of a term tied to historic atrocities.
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