Jewish community condemns OSU student divestment resolution | Local News

Jewish groups at The Ohio State University and beyond are lining up to condemn the vote by the student senate to pass a resolution that calls for the trustees to divest from two companies doing business in Israel.

Meanwhile, the university issued a statement pledging to study the resolution.

“The student government process is not yet complete,” the statement read, referring to the fact that the president of the undergraduate student government had not yet signed the resolution. “Pursuant to our policy, we will carefully study the USG resolution, when its process is complete and determine how to proceed.”

The statement spoke of the university’s “unwavering commitment to free speech” as well.

An attempt to filibuster the resolution by Ethan Wolf was cut off and immediately followed by a secret ballot vote on the resolution at 10:30 p.m. April 6. Wolf immediately protested his time to speak being cut off.

“It’s hard to see college campuses, particularly my own, attempt to delegitimize, demonize, hold to double standards, the State of Israel, a state that I know is as a liberal democracy,” Wolf, who grew up in Deerfield, Ill. and is a senior majoring in public affairs and economics, said.

Wolf said his father protested the neo-Nazi march on Skokie, Ill., in 1979.

“And so hearing the stories from my dad and my grandfather for many years instilled upon me a sense of pride in my identity, but also a realization that there are people out there that not only don’t want us to exist, but don’t want our voices heard, don’t want our interest served, don’t want Jews to hold any form of power,” Wolf said. “And that’s … what is incredibly scary.”

Wolf said he was troubled by the debate at the meeting as well as by what he called the authoritarian practices used to stifle debate.

“Wednesday night was a lot of the same talking points that you could hear from a neo-Nazi, someone like David Duke,” he said. “The rhetoric that comes from these extremist far right groups has quietly swept into student governments across the country in the name of very, very extremist, radical left policy. And I think it’s presenting quite the challenge, politically and even … on an identity basis for Jewish students not only on Ohio State but all across the country.”

The resolution, calling for divestment from Hewlitt Packard and Caterpillar, Inc., was inspired by the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.

Joel Marcovitch, the president and CEO of JewishColumbus, told the Columbus Jewish News April 8 Ohio State must take a clear stand on this issue.

“The university needs to come out strongly condemning this resolution by the student government that clearly violated students’ rights to debate and cross-examine this anti-Israel, antisemitic resolution,” Marcovitch said.

Also, JewishColumbus’ Jewish community relations council released an April 8 statement under the headline, “we stand together against antisemitism.”

“Supporting this BDS resolution, we feel strongly, is not the culture that Ohio State wishes to create,” the resolution reads. “We call on President Kristina Johnson and The Ohio State University to immediately condemn antisemitism and this resolution. This BDS resolution threatens the safety of the Jewish community at OSU. We will continue to work closely with the Jewish community at Ohio State and the administration to assure Jewish life at Ohio State is nurturing, vibrant, and well integrated into the larger school community. We will continue to reach out to our elected officials to make sure that Ohio House Bill 476, the ‘anti-BDS bill’ is being adhered to by OSU.”

Joseph Kohane, executive director of Ohio State University Hillel, wrote an email April 7 to the Columbus Jewish News voicing his concerns with the student government’s actions.

“USG took the unprecedented step of shutting down the normal process whereby student voices are heard before a resolution is presented, effectively silencing the hundreds of Jewish students who came out to speak against this antisemitic resolution,” he said. “It is notable that no college or university in the U.S. has divested from companies conducting business with Israel as a result of BDS campaigns such as this one.”

Kohane said he was proud of students at Hillel who “rallied an impressive campaign and mobilized more than 300 students to attend two consecutive USG meetings and organize campus allies and community partners to urge senators to vote against the resolution.”

He said, “The pro-Israel community at OSU is committed to being part of the solution. We will not allow messages of hate to tear apart our campus community or isolate Jewish or Zionist students. Ohio State Hillel will continue to support peace and honest dialogue and work for a more peaceful and safe campus, community and Jewish homeland.”

Rabbi Levi Andrusier of the Schottenstein Chabad House at Ohio State called the attempted use of an emergency resolution “reprehensible” given the crisis in Ukraine.

He told the Columbus Jewish News April 8 the fact that the voices of students who came to support Israel “were essentially silenced is also reprehensible.”

Andrusier said staff at Chabad would meet with the faculty adviser about the process.

“We anticipate that the university will not follow through with any of these recommendations,” Andrusier said.

He also said that Chabad staff will meet with OSU’s president, Kristina Johnson, Monday, to discuss the administration’s response.

“Students that advocate for pro Israel policies currently feel vulnerable and do not feel safe. And that’s our primary concern,” Andrusier said.

Becca Powers, the Israel Coalition on Campus fellow at Ohio State and vice president of Buckeyes for Israel, said she is concerned about the aftermath of the resolution and was disappointed that Jewish students were “silenced” at the April 6 meeting.

“My concerns relate to antisemitism and the inevitable rise of antisemitism that occurs after these BDS resolutions,” said Powers, a native of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights who is studying business and psychology, said. “I’m so thankful that the Jewish community has come together as much as they have and supported each other and therefore each other and really have advocated for themselves.”

Wolf said he hopes more students become involved in student government at Ohio State and he expects the trustees of Ohio State to ignore the resolution.

“There’s no expectation that they will, in any way, shape or form divest from any companies doing business in Israel. It’s illegal in the state of Ohio,” he said, referring to anti-BDS legislation. “And I fully expect that the administration will find ways to uplift Jewish students, their voices. But I also hope that this is a moment of understanding that there are two sides here. And each side has a powerful story and narrative that needs to be heard and brought to the table in a respectful manner.

“I hope that the administration invests in opening up dialogue between Palestinian and Jewish students that on this campus,” Wolf said. “We’re the leaders of tomorrow. I’m not saying that any conflict is going to be resolved. This has been an 80-year plus thing. But I hope that they invest in students to make relationships that might have the possibility to make positive impact and change.”