Regardless of whether the anti-BDS law gets attached and becomes law, the debate it triggered can serve as a useful map of pro-Israel politics on the Democratic side.
Tempestuous wind wasn’t the only thing challenging the University of Maryland’s Israel Fest on April 19.
Whatever the intensity of the anti-Israel voices rising from BDS and other anti-Israel advocacy organizations, they do not threaten our country’s national security.
While the November meeting marked the first time any motion to divest from Israel passed in Michigan’s student government, it also marked the first time a professor—or a speaker of any kind—was barred from addressing the student government.
“Keep reminding yourself: This is not normal,” warned comedian John Oliver on Last Week Tonight. It was less than a week after Election Day, and the country was just beginning to process Donald Trump’s unexpected victory. Opponents of the president-elect were scrambling to discern what had changed in a world they thought they understood.
Sarsour, like the activists from the International Women’s Strike, is a committed supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that singles out Israel and Zionism for condemnation. This reflects not only a misunderstanding of Zionism but a violation of some of the most basic feminist principles.
Tikkun olam promises much and demands comparatively little in the way of sacrifice. This is its greatest strength and, perhaps, its major weakness.
While still addressing the integration of Israeli-Americans into American Jewish life, this year’s conference gave center stage to the Coalition for Action’s step-by-step construction of alliances with local political and religious groups and use of social media to build support for pro-Israel actions.
There is no reason for the Jewish community to be monolithic in our opinions.
