{"id":2891,"date":"2015-08-31T08:08:55","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T13:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/?p=2891"},"modified":"2015-08-31T08:12:10","modified_gmt":"2015-08-31T13:12:10","slug":"why-i-support-open-hillel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2015\/08\/why-i-support-open-hillel.html","title":{"rendered":"Why I Support Open Hillel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Gili<\/a>
Photo by Gili Getz, courtesy of Open Hillel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

After years of sitting on the \u201cright-of-center\u201d when it came to Israel (I called myself a \u201csecurity dove\u201d) I have moved to the left. And not a little.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve slowly drifted to this position, I\u2019ve come to realize just how much the right likes to shut down open discourse in the Jewish community. The BDS*-monster is\u00a0the boogey-man invoked to shut down opportunities to even engage the other side.<\/p>\n

When I worked in Hillel we certainly supported Israel, but we also sponsored all kinds of dialogues with Palestinians. Today the Palestinians support BDS (why wouldn\u2019t they?) so when Hillel decrees<\/a> that it is forbidden to \u201cpartner with, house, or host organizations, groups, or speakers\u201d that support BDS, it effectively eliminates such opportunities. Ironically, the standards also forbid involvement with those who \u201c[d]eny the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state\u201d even as many on the right \u2013 like Sheldon Adelson himself \u2013 have suggested that whether Israel is democratic or not is less important than whether it is Jewish. Yet I\u2019m fairly certain that these rules are not applied to them.<\/p>\n

I left Hillel work\u00a0over fifteen years ago. I know that\u00a0most Hillel professionals \u2013 some of whom are personal friends of mine \u2013\u00a0continue to\u00a0do amazing work in many ways. But with new standards in place about what can and cannot be discussed or\u00a0with whom,\u00a0students are demanding change.<\/p>\n

This is why I support\u00a0Open Hillel.<\/p>\n

I was first introduced to this grass-roots, student-run campaign by one of my own congregants who has since graduated from Harvard. As a Humanistic Jew, I particularly prize the value of debate. The students who put together the group felt that this was no longer as important to Hillel International as appeasing its right-wing donor base.<\/p>\n

From Open Hillel website:<\/a><\/p>\n

Open Hillel is a student-run campaign to encourage inclusivity and open discourse at campus Hillels. We seek to change the \u201cstandards for partnership\u201d in Hillel International\u2019s guidelines, which exclude certain groups from Hillel based on their political views on Israel. In addition, we encourage local campus Hillels to adopt policies that are more open and inclusive than Hillel International\u2019s, and that allow for free discourse on all subjects within the Hillel community.<\/p>\n

Hillel International\u2019s current standards are counterproductive to creating real conversations about Israel on campus. They prevent campus Hillels from inviting co-sponsorship or dialogue with Palestinians, as almost all Palestinian campus groups support the boycott of, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel. They also exclude certain Jewish groups, such as Jewish Voice for Peace, from the Hillel community.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I do not\u00a0support BDS and I\u00a0am\u00a0not a member of Jewish Voice for Peace. Nevertheless, I refuse to demonize and exclude these points of view from our community. This is why I joined the Open Hillel Rabbinical Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Open Hillel does not have the financial support of people with deep pockets. They depend upon smaller contributions by members of the Jewish community who care about real pluralism in Jewish communities both on and off campus.<\/p>\n

Right now they\u2019re working to fund their 2016 conference and they need all the help they can get. I encourage you to consider contributing at this link.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

*BDS is the effort to\u00a0boycott, divestment from, and impose sanctions against Israel.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After years of sitting on the \u201cright-of-center\u201d when it came to Israel (I called myself a \u201csecurity dove\u201d) I have moved to the left. And not a little. As I\u2019ve slowly drifted to this position, I\u2019ve come to realize just how much the right likes to shut down open discourse in the Jewish community. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2281,"featured_media":2892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4,20,21],"class_list":["post-2891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogentries","tag-american-jews","tag-israel","tag-israeli-palestinian-conflict"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Support Open Hillel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After years of sitting on the \u201cright-of-center\u201d when it came to Israel (I called myself a \u201csecurity dove\u201d) I have moved to the left. 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