Swarthmore Hillel students It was 5:25pm when I walked into the room full of murmuring college students. Swarthmore Hillel’s first event addressing the conflict in Israel and Palestine was about to begin. I took my seat among the 60 other students, who were all chatting amiably and nervously, waiting for the event to start. I…
The Wesleyan Jewish Community, in an act of open defiance against its parent-organization Hillel International, hosted a “Jewish Voice for Peace Shabbat” on February 27, according to a statement issued by Wesleyan’s “Open Hillel” chapter. The group Jewish Voice for Peace advocates for the global boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, and therefore…
On Monday, I learned that the chance to speak to over 1,000 student pro-Israel activists is not enough to get Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of Hillel International, in a room. I have two questions: why not, and if that’s not enough, what is? Let’s start with the first: why did Fingerhut withdraw from the…
Hillel International President Eric Fingerhut was aware of who would speak at a J Street conference before he confirmed his attendance, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group said. “After agreeing to speak for the first time in a public forum with J Street U students he chose to pull out, citing objections to the…
Eric Fingerhut, the president of Hillel International, is withdrawing from speaking at J Street’s annual conference because of the presence of Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian negotiator. “My desire to attend the conference was based on my wish to speak at a student-only session directly with the students who will be in attendance, to thank those…
More than a year ago, Hillel President Eric Fingerhut declared that “‘anti-Zionists’ will not be permitted to speak using the Hillel name or under the Hillel roof, under any circumstances.” That statement came in response to the decision by Jewish students at Swarthmore College to open their doors to speakers and groups that oppose Israel’s…
Eric Fingerhut speaks at Jerusalem U film screening / Dorri Olds Trying to get an unbiased education about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a never-ending conundrum. It’s like the parable of the blind men and the elephant — one blind man grabs the tail and says, “An elephant is like a rope,” another feels the trunk…
Dorothy Zellner spoke with a rare passion about how her Jewish upbringing inspired her to join the civil rights movement in the Deep South a half-century ago. Alongside black speakers at a panel at Harvard Hillel, the on-campus center for Jewish students, marking the 50th anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom summer, Zellner explained why it…
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