The lengthy public comment period at last week's USAC
meeting presented the undeserved impression that the resolution calling on the
university to divest from five companies abetting Israel's occupation of the
Palestinian Territories offended the campus "Jewish" community and
representing a strike by an "anti-semitic" BDS movement.
Such rhetoric not only ignored the fact that this resolution
made no mention whatsoever of the BDS movement but denies the voice of Jewish
students like myself who support the resolution as a means of opposing an
Occupation illegal under international law and harmful to both Palestinians and
Israelis.
However the message voiced played by our campus's most
prominent Jewish institution, Hillel, in fighting the resolution. In an email
sent out the on the day of the meeting, Hillel's Student Board called on Jewish
students to "join our community in voting NO" the resolution,
erroneously tying it to a "BDS movement" aiming to "delegitimize
and demonize the Jewish, Democratic state of Israel."
(https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#inbox/1446a40b64faeb3f)
The same e-mail furthermore recommended that students check
out the Facebook page of Bruins against BDS, a group led by Hillel student
leaders that also made use of Hillel facilities for a meetings.
This overt opposition to Tuesday’s resolution reflects
considerably on the “Israel Guidelines” laid out by Hillel at UCLA’s parent
organization, Hillel International, which state that Hillel will not partner or
affiliate with groups or individuals who “support boycotts, divestment and/or
Sanctions against Israel” or who “delegitimize” or “demonize” the state of
Israel. (http://www.hillel.org/jewish/hillel-israel/hillel-israel-guidelines)
These guidelines have been used by Hillels at Harvard and
Brandeis (respectively) to refuse to host former Speaker of the Knesset Avraham
Burg (for giving a talk co-sponsored by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, (http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/11/26/hillel-speaker-open-policy/#))
and to deny membership to Jewish Voice for Peace (a Jewish organization that
supports Boycott Divestment and Sanctions, http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/national-news/brandeis-hillel-again-rejects-membership-bid-jewish-voice-peace).
In this light, Hillel at UCLA’s mobilization of opposition to
the late divestment resolution should be seen as especially stringent given the
steps taken by the authors of the resolution to dissociate it from the BDS
movement and focus only on the most pressing issue of corporations aiding
Israel’s violations of human rights and international law in the Occupied
Territories. (http://dailybruin.com/2014/02/24/submission-resolution-supports-divestment-not-bds-as-a-whole/)
Given the willingness of Hillel at UCLA to accommodate Jews
of various denominations and levels of observance, it disheartens me that it
should take such a strong stance against a measure that prominent
Jews and Israelis
feel necessary to end Israel’s occupation and bring long-lasting peace to the
Middle East.
It should be added that I have been a regular attendee of
Hillel’s Shabbat and High Holiday
services since I have been a Freshman appreciating the warmth of community and
Jewish learning that I have received there. In light of Hillel’s failure to
incorporate my opinions in drawing its stance on divestment, I vow not to
attend events held at or sponsored by Hillel until the day I graduate.
