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Todd Berman

Harvard, Columbia and Yale – a suggestion to help our college students

This week’s news cycle has been dominated by highly controversial events. The United States officially inaugurated Donald Trump as its new president, a move that has sparked significant debate. While many in the Jewish community support the new administration, others perceive it as a crisis of epic proportions.

In a related development, Israel welcomed home the first three hostages as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas, which involves the exchange of 90 Palestinian prisoners. This deal, which includes the release of both hostages and prisoners convicted of serious crimes, has generated extensive debate and controversy. As the deal was enacted, Israel’s senior military leader, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, found himself in disgrace due to the brutal circumstances that contributed to Israel’s longest and bloodiest war.

These significant events have overshadowed much of the news landscape. However, three smaller events affecting American college campuses highlight a complex situation confronting the next generation of Jewish leaders.

On the positive side of the equation, Harvard University, whose president was forced to resign last year after testifying in Congress, settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of Jewish college students. Among several elements of the settlement, Harvard will adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and new rules to protect and support Jewish and Israeli students.

A less positive event happened at my alma mater Columbia University. Masked Pro-Palestinian students invaded a class on the history modern Israel. Many will recall that Columbia’s president, also, resigned this past summer due to controversies surrounding Oct. 7th and subsequent war. Responding to the students’ violation of the university’s code of conduct by invading a classroom and calling for an Intifada, the university ambiguously declared, “We will move quickly to investigate and address this act.”  They continued in a more forceful tone, “We want to be absolutely clear that any act of antisemitism, or other form of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation against members of our community is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” What will happen to the students who invaded the classroom and harassed the other students and lecturer remains to be seen.

Continuing the streak of Ivey league controversies surrounding Israel, a Yale Hillel staff member removed Zionist students who were filming in a group of students critical of Israel. Some vocal critics made their displeasure known on social media. In response, the Slifka Center posted a statement on Yale Hillel’s Instagram,

“The Slifka Center hosted former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday evening for a program with Yale students. In the lobby on a different floor from the event, there was a gathering of students expressing their views about Prime Minister Bennett’s policies. A Slifka Center staff member asked a student to stop filming this group of students in accordance with our building policy for this event, which did not allow for filming anywhere in the building for security reasons. We applied this policy consistently and in line with Yale’s policies. ”

No matter their political views, Hillel staff seem to be walking a tightrope. Hillel’s mission to reach out to Jewish students with a variety of positions on Israel creates a problematic situation where they are expected to be open and pleasing to everyone. Hillel International, the parent body of all campus centers, is unequivocal in support of the Jewish state. Hillel’s guidelines read, “Hillel is steadfastly committed to the support of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders as a member of the family of nations.” This position leaves little room for non-Zionist student engagement. Nonetheless, staff members who must navigate their personal commitments usually try their best to navigate this narrow space. It goes without saying they can’t please everyone all the time. In this recent case at Yale, some critics call for the staff member responsible to be removed.

While much of the Jewish world focuses on the change in administration in the U.S., the release of hostages, and ceasefire negotiations, young people on college campuses are facing these disagreements on a regular basis. Given these circumstances, what steps can the Jewish community take to help students recharge away from campus controversies?

I want to offer a surprising suggestion. Now is the time to plan to send students to Israel. Bear with me for a moment. Presently, airlines have begun resuming flights to Israel or have announced plans to do so, and costs are already decreasing. The country needs volunteers to help rebuild. And as we look ahead to the spring and summer breaks, it’s vital to help college students find programs in Israel where they can reconnect with Jewish life, away from the chaos of their campuses.

I recognize that some may see the irony in planning trips to Israel while the war continues and potential conflicts could arise again. However, for our college students, this may be an ideal opportunity to seek experiences that strengthen or rekindle their commitment to the Jewish people. Given the current global and campus situations, this is an opportune time to help our students and their parents visit Israel. Let’s help them rebuild the land and rebuild themselves at the same time.

 

About the Author
Rabbi Berman is the Associate Director at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi. In addition, he has held numerous posts in education from the high school level through adult education. He founded the Jewish Learning Initiative (JLI) at Brandeis University and served as rabbinic advisory to the Orthodox community there for several years. Previously, he was a RaM at Midreshet Lindenbaum where he also served as the Rav of the dormitory.