Fighting B.D.S. on Campus is a Waste of Time for Jewish Advocates

By Zev Hurwitz February 27, 2014

Scores (if not hundreds) of Jewish and Pro-Israel students spent Tuesday night in a crowded ballroom at UCLA to advocate against the student government’s proposed passage of a divestment resolution. I, on the other hand, sat at my computer 125 miles away, wearing sweatpants and drinking Coke Zero with lemon watching the USAC divestment meeting…

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Dear de Blasio: AIPAC Doesn’t Speak for Me, Either

By Amram Altzman February 10, 2014

Last week it was discovered that New York’s new mayor, Bill de Blasio, held an off-the-record meeting with AIPAC. This caused the Jewish political left in New York to draft a letter to Mayor de Blasio expressing their disappointment over his decision to ally himself with AIPAC, as opposed to taking a harder look at…

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What we Talk About When we Talk About Settlements

By Amram Altzman December 9, 2013

Bloomberg columnist Jeffrey Goldberg wrote an editorial last week explaining why Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not the central issue in the Middle East today. He explains that, yes, settlements are definitely one of the obstacles to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, but then proceeds to list the ways in which the…

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On Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and the Deal with Iran

By Amram Altzman December 2, 2013

“You and I can change the world”  The refrain from Arik Einstein’s iconic song, “Ani ve-Atah” (literally, “You and I” — no, Lady Gaga, you didn’t have the song first) seems to ring especially true as we enter Hanukkah and Thanksgiving and as news breaks of the United States and Iran agreeing to enter formal…

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Open Hillel for an Open Hillel

By Gabriel T. Erbs October 23, 2013

The Midwest does not get enough credit for its foundational role in the American Jewish community. However, the first campus Hillel was established in 1923 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In an atmosphere where Jewish campus life was largely non-existent, the first Hillel marked a new age for American Jewish students who endured…

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Fifty Shades of J Street

By Derek M. Kwait October 21, 2013

It used to be, said a speaker at J Street U’s plenary session during the national J Street Conference, that students were expected to listen to learn from others. Now, he said, with the success of the fights for civil rights, marriage equality, unionizing, and women’s rights—all of which were led by student movements—the world…

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Perspectives on Israeli Independence: Celebrate, Commemorate or Mourn?

By New Voices April 15, 2013

Our generation of Jews is torn on the subject of Israel. While intense discomfort grows in some corners, beaming pride grows in others. As our way of observing Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, which begins tonight and continues tomorrow, we asked four Jewish college students with very different takes on Israeli independence, the Palestinian observance…

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The Surprisingly Sunny Story of Israel on Campus

By Editorial Board November 10, 2012

In a stunning twist, a national organization just invested a great deal of time and effort into researching the nature of Israel’s reputation on college campuses. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, a non-profit established to spread knowledge of “the values our nations share” (America and Israel), has produced the latest report on anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment…

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ZOA’s personal attack on New Voices editor

By David A.M. Wilensky May 2, 2012

Not to get too overwrought, but here’s my blog post in response to a Zionist Organization of America press release in response to my JTA op-ed in response to their JTA op-ed. Throughout the press release, notice how many of my points are avoided by going on an ad hominem rampage against me. NEW YORK,…

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The J Street You Don’t Hear About

By Ben Sales April 6, 2011

A multiple-choice question for our readers: Last week, a  Jewish advocacy group sent an email to its supporters titled “Tell Obama: Go to Jerusalem.” Which group was it? a. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) b. The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) c. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) d. J Street As is obvious from…

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Correction: J Street U was, is, and will be pro-Israel

By Harpo Jaeger March 13, 2011

My last post alluded to a dust-up where J Street U dropped the term “pro-Israel” from its slogan.  Trouble is, that never happened: The national board of J Street U neither discussed nor voted on any action to remove the term “pro-Israel” from our platform, policy or the way we describe ourselves at J Street…

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Protect Professor Kristofer Petersen-Overton’s Job

By eweiss February 4, 2011

This article has been edited to reflect a correction: Student leaders of the procession protesting Professor Petersen-Overton’s curriculum have met with Brooklyn College’s administration to discuss their concerns. Previously, this article implied that those meetings had not yet taken place. I take great pride in calling myself a Zionist, but I take greater pride in…

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