Harvard students form ‘anti-Zionist Jewish organisation’

A group of undergraduate students at Harvard University has formed what they call an “anti-Zionist Jewish organization” that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As reported by JTA, the Harvard Jewish Coalition for Peace introduced itself in a public statement posted Monday on Facebook as “a new organisation founded in the idea that Jewish liberation is inextricably bound up with the liberation of all people”.

The group’s opening statement said it will focus on Palestine solidarity work, fight anti-Semitism, and create Jewish spaces and events outside of Hillel. The group said:

We build on a long history of Jewish anti-Zionism which teaches us that Jewish safety or liberation will never come at the expense of other people’s lives and land

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“[We] are committed to following the leadership of Palestinians in supporting the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on and off Harvard’s campus,” the text added.

“We do not claim to represent the majority of the Jewish community here at Harvard,” the statement said, “but we hope that our group can provide a space for those who resonate with this vision”.

According to JTA, “the Harvard coalition grew out of discussions about the need for an organized anti-Zionist organization following the spring 2019 Israeli Apartheid Week organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee.”

Hillel, meanwhile, “does not allow partnership with groups that support BDS or oppose Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state,” the report noted.

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