{"id":96452,"date":"2022-07-21T17:05:11","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T15:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=96452"},"modified":"2022-07-12T07:51:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T05:51:52","slug":"02-00-77","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=96452","title":{"rendered":"BDS Puts Jews and Israel Under Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>BDS Puts Jews and Israel Under Attack<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Alexander Joffe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A pro-BDS demonstration. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most significant and sinister BDS developments in recent memory occurred in June with the release of the \u2018Mapping Project,<\/a>\u2019 which created a literal diagram of Boston area Jewish institutions and entities purportedly involved in \u201clocal institutional support for the colonization of Palestine and harms that we see as linked, such as policing, US imperialism, and displacement\/ethnic cleansing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The map, which was endorsed by the Boston BDS movement and by Jewish Voice for Peace, includes 483 entities such as schools, synagogues, communal groups, NGOs and philanthropists, as well as an immense range of public and private institutions, from major corporations like Apple and General Dynamics to local police departments and firms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The map goes far beyond the usual BDS emphasis on multinational corporations, universities, and police departments by accusing unexceptional entities of unique evil thanks to connections with Zionism. One example is the Jewish Teen Foundation of Boston<\/a> that \u201chosts events for Boston area teenagers which promote and normalize Israel\u2019s ongoing colonial subjugation of Palestinians and theft of Palestinian land and resources.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another, the Kleinfelder Northeast<\/a> construction and design firm, is accused of providing services to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and proposing to construct a prison for the Commonwealth that \u201cattempted to whitewash over the inherently violent and dehumanizing realities of caging human beings in prions (sic).\u201d The Harpoon brewery<\/a> is accused of \u201cpropaganda\/normalization\u201d and \u201cZionism\u201d for partnering with an Israeli firm that specialized in desalinization.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project\u2019s stated goal, to \u201creveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them,\u201d explicitly targeting Jewish entities and individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though several Massachusetts politicians support BDS, the map drew widespread condemnation<\/a> including from Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Representatives Ayanna Pressley, and others. A bipartisan group of 37 House members<\/a> also called on Federal law enforcement officials to investigate the project and its potential use by extremist groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Local <\/a>and national media<\/a> and Jewish leaders also denounced the project. Local FBI officials claimed<\/a> to be aware of the project and were investigating, but stated that no direct threat had been identified.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, in a surprising twist that reflected the unanticipated reaction, the National BDS movement sent a letter <\/a>to the Boston BDS franchise demanding that it remove the Mapping Project from social media. The letter complained that the project \u201cindirectly advocates for armed resistance,\u201d which \u201cinadvertently but gratuitously opens the door wide for the ear Israel lobby to intensify to unprecedented levels its legal warfare (lawfare), smears and bullying.\u201d Even more surprising was the refusal to do so by BDS Boston, the project itself and a series of supporters, including Code Pink, Students for Justice in Palestine, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)-associated Samidoun.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were a number of BDS developments on campus last month. A recent University of Illinois graduate, Sayed Quraishi, was charged with a hate crime after throwing a rock at students outside the Hillel building during a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) protest that targeted the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Yale University, the Yale Postdoc Association published a statement pushing back<\/a> against a BDS endorsement issued in 2021 by the association\u2019s Racial Justice Subcommittee. At Oxford University a group called Jewish Students Against Antisemitism protested the appearance<\/a> of Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely, deeming her racist.<\/span><\/p>\n

The student government at Simon Fraser University<\/a> adopted a BDS policy. The statement noted<\/a> that \u201cAnti-zionism fits in the wider anti-colonial framework globally, including within Turtle Island,\u201d a term for North and Central America. In contrast, the student government at La Trobe University adopted<\/a> the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance\u2019s (IHRA) antisemitism definition.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Harvard University commencement, BDS supporters heckled actor Ashton Kutcher <\/a>at an event over his support for Israel. Duke University deleted photos of a student Birthright Israel trip from an Instagram page after complaints from BDS supporters.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to the continuing antisemitism crisis at the City University of New York (CUNY) Law School, City Council member Inna Vernikov redirected funds<\/a> earmarked for the school. The move came after the student government and the entire faculty endorsed BDS and a commencement speaker condemned Israel<\/a>. The CUNY chancellor issued a statement<\/a> that did not condemn the student or faculty moves, noting merely that \u201cWe believe the best way to counter the resulting discord is to expand upon the work we do across our campuses to encourage scholarship, dialogue, tolerance and civil engagement that fosters understanding and a way forward.\u201d The New York City Council\u2019s Higher Education Committee<\/a> scheduled a hearing to discuss the antisemitism situation at CUNY, which was held on June 30.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The spread of BDS and antisemitism into K-12 education was also evident in June. Concerns continue in California regarding the use of a Liberated Ethnic Studies <\/a>curriculum despite the opposition of the state legislature and governor. Reports indicate that the curriculum, which labels Jews as \u201cprivileged\u201d and vilifies Israel as a \u201ccolonial\u201d state, is being marketed quietly to school districts while labeling opponents as part of a Zionist conspiracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

This type of grassroots anti-Israel activism was also seen in the Passaic County Education Associations\u2019 email to members<\/a> promoting an \u201cEducators for Palestine Summer Series\u201d scheduled for July, and hosted by the \u201cDemocratic Socialists of America BDS and Palestine Solidarity Working Group.\u201d One session, \u201cPalestine: The History of a People,\u201d notes that \u201cIn order to teach about Palestine authentically and critically, we must understand the history of its people and their heroic resistance to Zionism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another session notes that \u201cLearning Toward Liberation discusses some best practices for helping students understand how Palestine fits into historical and contemporary discussions of concepts from settler colonialism to water rights.\u201d A third promises to prepare teachers \u201cfor the all too frequent backlash we can face from various sources and directions. We will hear from several educators who have navigated this difficult part of the crucial work of teaching about Palestine, as well as from organizations with the expertise and resources educators will find helpful should they encounter opposition, as Learning Toward Liberation discusses important issues for educators of conscience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the economic sphere, the connection between BDS and rapidly emerging environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards is becoming clearer. After criticism from a Jewish investors group and the State of Illinois\u2019s Investment Policy Board, the ratings firm Morningstar dropped a product called Human Rights Radar, which it had acquired in its purchase of Sustainalytics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Morningstar had retained the White & Case law firm to investigate Human Rights Radar after critics noted that it had placed a number of Israeli firms on a watch list. While the White & Case report claimed to find no \u201cpervasive or systemic bias\u201d it noted that Human Rights Radar \u201csometimes used inflammatory language and failed to provide sourcing attribution clearly and consistently.\u201d In a statement, Morningstar\u2019s leadership added that the firm does not support BDS.<\/span><\/p>\n

After receding, the issue of Ben & Jerry\u2019s support for BDS came again to the forefront with reports that new employees of the ice cream company are required to watch four video lectures on the Arab-Israeli conflict<\/a> as part of their on-boarding. One of the videos features Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch\u2019s \u201cIsrael and Palestine\u201d director, who had been the original source of the recommendation that the company cease operations in Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other business news, General Mills sold a small Israeli subsidiary, which set off claims by the BDS movement<\/a> that the conglomerate had done so as a result of pressure. General Mills then issued a clarification<\/a> that the move was part of a global restructuring and had nothing to do with BDS. Even after the company\u2019s statement, however, the BDS movement insisted that the decision<\/a> had been a result of pressure and that the company was dissembling to avoid political ramifications.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the political sphere, the second round of primaries continued to highlight the role of BDS in American politics. But while prospective Squad members and allies such as scandal ridden Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL) continued to be defeated, there are signs that other Democratic candidates, such as the four currently competing in Chicago<\/a> to replace retiring Rep. Bobby Rush \u2014 either through conviction or self-interest \u2014 are declining to support the BDS movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elsewhere, in its list of resolutions the North Carolina Democratic Party<\/a> included a call for individual Israelis to be sanctioned for \u201chuman rights violations\u201d and to condition aid to Israel on \u201con Israeli authorities taking concrete and verifiable steps towards ending their commission of the crimes of apartheid and persecution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the cultural sphere the BDS movement threatened to disrupt<\/a> singer Justin Bieber\u2019s South African concerts after he announced that he would be performing in Israel later this year. The band Big Thief \u2014 which has an Israeli member who resides in Tel Aviv \u2014 was also pressured into canceling<\/a> its performances in Israel. A new book has detailed the BDS movement\u2019s pressure<\/a> aimed at artists who plan to perform in Israel, including death threats. It notes that younger artists are dominated by social media and obsessed with reputational harm.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The author is a contributor to SPME, where a version of this article was first published.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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BDS Puts Jews and Israel Under Attack Alexander Joffe A pro-BDS demonstration. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. One of the most significant and sinister BDS developments in recent memory occurred in June with the release of the \u2018Mapping Project,\u2019 which created a literal diagram of Boston area Jewish institutions and entities purportedly involved in \u201clocal institutional support […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96452"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96452"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96706,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96452\/revisions\/96706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}