Jewish students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design decided to hold a May 11 event at their Hillel building focused on the Palestinian experience of Israeli independence in defiance of what they called “pressure” from Hillel International, according to two students with direct knowledge of the event who spoke anonymously to protect…
When I arrived at Wesleyan last fall, I thought I would be involved in Israel politics despite the campus political climate. Instead, I got involved because of it. Wesleyan’s reputation as a strongly pro-Palestine campus had preceded it, and I admit that I had been anxious about coming in a Zionist, even a progressive one….
When I was a plucky 11-year old, I challenged the biblical account of creation at my Jewish day school in Winnipeg, Canada. Instead of getting punished, I was invited over to the high school wing to continue the debate with the senior Judaic studies teacher. As is befitting a culture of open critique, I felt…
The Open Hillel student group has established a council of 55 academics who support its mission to open up dialogue about Israel at campus Hillels. Open Hillel announced the launch of its Academic Council on Thursday, which includes high-profile Jewish academics like Peter Beinart, Judith Butler and Shaul Magid. The academics were said to have…
At the end of , I asked “what is next?” Within hours, Yaman Salahi, a lawyer at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, responded with a detailed account of the various ways in which right-wing groups have used legal mechanisms and debates over funding to limit the Israel/Palestine debate on campus. Though many of these efforts are…
Walking into Penn Hillel, we feel inspired to participate in causes we care about and to engage in dialogue across a broad range of beliefs. Our Hillel has that effect. It creates limitless engagement opportunities for all Jewish students. The three of us are all vocal participants in dialogue around gender equality, social justice, racial…
Swarthmore College’s former Hillel has voted to rename itself Swarthmore Kehilah. The name change announced on Sunday follows the decision by the campus Jewish organization to drop its affiliation with Hillel International, due to restrictions on Israel issues. The decision of the name Kehilah, which means Community, was made through an open submission process for…
In 1964, Queens College student Mark Levy – one of the four authors of this piece – traveled to Meridian, Mississippi with the Mississippi Freedom Summer project, registering African Americans to vote. When he tried to go to synagogue in Meridian, before he ascended the stairs outside, a representative of the synagogue came out and…
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