Asaf Romanowksy and Shlomo Dubnov, in an article in The Times of Israel (www.romirowsky.com/13082/bds-ucsd), point out that the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) became the ‘most prestigious’ school to date to be subverted by the campaign urging Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against companies that work in and with Israel. New England is not immune to these challenges and a number of campuses have already confronted conflicts with these groups.
There is no doubt that academia has become increasingly hostile to the State of Israel.
It is also clear that BDS and the belligerent pursuit of projects like Israel Apartheid Week are permanent fixtures on campuses across the country and that by comparison Israel’s
defenders generally react to them on an ad hoc basis.
Romanowsky and Dubnov describe BDS as follows:
“The UCSD students (in support of BDS), in formulating their resolution, relied on the distortions of the BDS campaign in general: namely, a false characterization of Israel as a rogue human rights violator, the portrayal of the Jewish citizens of Israel as ‘colonial occupiers,’ and the positioning of Arabs as indigenous residents of the land. They … have challenged the pro-Israel community as they have promoted the false notion that they are open to actual dialogue and debate that would promote equitable and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; in reality, their motives are much more sinister.
Rather than being interested in social justice’ and “human rights” to which they so regularly give lip service, their actual intention is to weaken and destroy Israel, not to make it a partner in peace. As a result, the American Jewish community at large, many of whom embrace the ‘big tent’ approach, still hold on to the desire to accept everyone’s views and self-affirmation in the name of being open and pluralistic.
Since Israel’s very existence is positioned by BDS proponents as antithetical to peace, and an obstacle to social justice for the Palestinians, many on campus are conflicted about fervently supporting the Jewish state. To date … [many of the arguments] are not strong enough in the battle against BDS.”
No one sends his or her children off to college and expects them to immediately be confronted about their Jewish identity and convictions about Israel. But if college administrations continue to wrap themselves in the myth that belligerent confrontation is a protected extension of free speech, and as long as there are faculty who insinuate political agitation into their classrooms, then this coordinated effort will continue to grow.
As we wrote in our recent editorial on Israel Apartheid Week, another confrontational effort built on lies is of a piece with BDS. A response to these well organized and consistent efforts cannot be truly effective on an ad hoc basis. Our Hillels, faculty groups and community organizations have to act preemptively in significant ways to provide a continuum of support for those on campus who are tasked with confronting this growing movement. Absent that coordination and measured response, we will increasingly see the likes of BDS and Israel Apartheid Week continue to fester on our campuses.

-nrg