[BostonCard]

[quote author=Ronnietrader link=topic=12033.msg116857#msg116857 date=1429202737]
Antisemitism has risen over campuses across the country over the past few years, in particular on the West Coast as many in the "progressive" community view Israel as a colonial, racist, aggressor.  Hence, many programs/displays/student government motions have targeted Israel which flirts and often crosses the line of antisemitism.  Many Jewish students have cited cases of bullying.  That being said, I NEVER encountered antisemitism as a student but that was 25 years ago.  Stanford has always had a much lower percentage of Jews than the Ivies given the proximity to the NYC area for the latter.  There are movements among the student population to divest there, but they have always failed.

My problem is association with those beliefs as antisemitism. It's entirely possible to believe that Jews are just another kind of people in this world and that Israel is doing bad things. Conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism is beyond absurd.



Someone else mentioned singling Israel out in this regard, and from my perspective I think it's because Israel is one of the few counties where it could conceivably work. Putin clearly doesn't care what the west thinks about him and sanctions haven't changed his outlook. Same with Iran, North Korea, and whatever other crazy-ass state you could name. But unlike those states, Israel wants to think of itself as noble, as good, and emphasizing "hey, you're doing bad things" makes that harder and is legitimate.

Though I have to say I don't think it actually matters. I guess divestment could make you sleep better at night, in that you're doing the only thing you really can, but Israeli politicians, like all politicians, are responding to local concerns, and I really doubt those concerns are going to change with a handful of US universities divesting.
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Also, it is worth noting that we have sanctions in place against Russia for their behavior against Ukraine, that are much more economically damaging than divestment could possibly be.  It carries the weight of the US government, so there is no need for a divestment campaign.  We have essentially no trade with North Korea because of sanctions.  Syria and North Korea are listed as one of fourthree (now that Cuba is off) state sponsors of terrorism.  Divestment, though it generates a lot of healthy debate, pales in comparison to our policy towards those nations.

China is in a bit of a different boat.  But even then, it is not like there isn't a campus Free Tibet movement.  It's not quite a move for divestment (perhaps because it would mean divestment from essentially every company  that does international business), but it is not like China has been untouchable in this regard.

BC

[BostonCard]

[quote author=Ronnietrader link=topic=12033.msg116857#msg116857 date=1429202737]
Antisemitism has risen over campuses across the country over the past few years, in particular on the West Coast as many in the "progressive" community view Israel as a colonial, racist, aggressor.  Hence, many programs/displays/student government motions have targeted Israel which flirts and often crosses the line of antisemitism.  Many Jewish students have cited cases of bullying.  That being said, I NEVER encountered antisemitism as a student but that was 25 years ago.  Stanford has always had a much lower percentage of Jews than the Ivies given the proximity to the NYC area for the latter.  There are movements among the student population to divest there, but they have always failed.

My problem is association with those beliefs as antisemitism. It's entirely possible to believe that Jews are just another kind of people in this world and that Israel is doing bad things. Conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism is beyond absurd.



Someone else mentioned singling Israel out in this regard, and from my perspective I think it's because Israel is one of the few counties where it could conceivably work. Putin clearly doesn't care what the west thinks about him and sanctions haven't changed his outlook. Same with Iran, North Korea, and whatever other crazy-ass state you could name. But unlike those states, Israel wants to think of itself as noble, as good, and emphasizing "hey, you're doing bad things" makes that harder and is legitimate.

Though I have to say I don't think it actually matters. I guess divestment could make you sleep better at night, in that you're doing the only thing you really can, but Israeli politicians, like all politicians, are responding to local concerns, and I really doubt those concerns are going to change with a handful of US universities divesting.
[/quote]

Also, it is worth noting that we have sanctions in place against Russia for their behavior against Ukraine, that are much more economically damaging than divestment could possibly be.  It carries the weight of the US government, so there is no need for a divestment campaign.  We have essentially no trade with North Korea because of sanctions.  Syria and North Korea are listed as one of fourthree (now that Cuba is off) state sponsors of terrorism.  Divestment, though it generates a lot of healthy debate, pales in comparison to our policy towards those nations.

China is in a bit of a different boat.  But even then, it is not like there isn't a campus Free Tibet movement.  It's not quite a move for divestment (perhaps because it would mean divestment from essentially every company  that does international business), but it is not like China has been untouchable in this regard.

BC