Opinion
A MIX OF IDEAS
Dry Bo nes
Editorials are posted and archived on JNonline.us .
FESTIVAL
OF LIGHTS
Editorial
BDS Movement Denounced
I
n a brief, powerful statement, 40
Nobel Laureates from around the
world, including America and Israel,
have sternly and boldly challenged bids
to boycott, divest from or sanction Israeli
academics, institutions and university-
based centers and institutes for training
and research.
The statement holds that the carefully
and widely orchestrated academic and
cultural boycott, divestment and sanction
(BDS) campaign on campuses of higher
education are:
• antithetical to principles of academic
and scientific freedom;
• antithetical to principles of freedom of
expression and inquiry;
• may well constitute discrimination by
virtue of national origin.
These bullet points gain credibil-
ity when measured against the glare of
Israel's lead accusers and adversaries:
Arab terrorist organizations, European
anti-Semites and, of course, the Zionist-
bashing United Nations.
The most notable name on the pro-
Israel, anti-boycott Scholars for Peace
in the Middle East (SPME) statement is
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, a renowned
writer, professor and political activist.
But let there be no mistake: All signato-
ries deserve plaudits for standing up and
speaking up on behalf of the Jewish state.
Their collective shout-out that "the uni-
versity should serve as an open, tolerant
and respectful cooperative" may be a bit
simplistic, but it's the right idea. As a civi-
lized, sovereign, democratic state, Israel is
an example of a nation hardly worthy of
discrediting via BDS treatment.
Written under the auspices of the SPME,
the Oct. 28 statement punctuates the con-
tinued threats of a boycott by the University
of Johannesburg, South Africa, against
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; stu-
dent government divestment efforts in the
University of California system (see Editor's
Letter: page 5); a bid to get signatures for
the California initiative to divest funds
from companies doing business with Israel
or Israeli companies; and the attempt to
shut down the Georgia Law Enforcement
and Education Center at Georgia State
University, which has training and research
ties to similar facilities in Israel.
The Nobel Laureate rebuke underscores
just how real these threats are — and just
how important it is for people in positions
of power or influence to step up in protest
and not watch idly.
Signatories appeal to students, faculty
and university officials to resoundingly
defeat and denounce BDS
calls and campaigns. The
statement further encour-
ages these core campus
representatives to "promote
and provide opportunities
for civil academic dis-
course where parties can
engage in the search for
resolution to conflicts and
problems rather than serve
as incubators for polemics,
propaganda, incitement
and further misunder-
standing and mistrust"
That's succinct and well
put. The message supports
the SPME statement's
thesis that the BDS cam-
paign is more likely to be
counterproductive to "the
dynamics of reconciliation"
that could lead to peace between Israel
and its Palestinian neighbors.
The SPME is no stranger to BDS wars.
In the past, it has worked with Nobel
Laureates to fight and stymie efforts
against Israeli academia. The grassroots
network of 60,000 faculty and scholars
around the world seeks a peaceful solution
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
DryBonesBlog.com
Israeli politics and policies cer-
tainly merit robust analysis and debate.
Encouraging such freewheeling discussion
is what the community of higher educa-
tion should be doing — not embracing
the BDS phenomena as Israel strives to
defend itself against delegitimizing and
destruction.
Thank you, Scholars for Peace in the
Middle East.
❑
Why Donors Like Chabad
New York/JTA
T
wo mammoth Jewish gather-
ings were held recently: the
General Assembly of the Jewish
Federations of North America and the
International Convention of Chabad
Emissaries.
While both were awe inspiring in their
grandeur and focused on Jewish continu-
ity, the Chabad movement continues to
grow rapidly and the federations appear to
be largely stagnant.
The JFNA is a well-oiled machine with
an established infrastructure, smooth
mechanisms and operational hierarchy.
By contrast, although there are a number
of supporting bodies, Chabad from an
organizational perspective appears in
some ways to be a band of ragtag rabbis
operating independently without a central
endowment, trust fund or investment
portfolio.
As opposed to the federations, Chabad
does not aggressively publicize internal
studies, polls or annual reports,
and they do not operate with
a traditional membership
structure. However, agreement
essentially is unanimous about
Chabad's rapid growth.
Chabad institutions have
attracted some of the most
sophisticated and advanced
business and industry lead-
ers as donors. At the Nov. 7
concluding banquet of the
conference, the guests included
the likes of Michael Steinhardt,
Guma Aguiar, Lev Leviev,
Eduardo Elsztain and Ronald Lauder.
Gennady Bogolubov delivered the keynote
speech.
These savvy investors don't need
detailed reports to see the fruits of their
contributions: It is evident in Chabad's
successes. Donating to Chabad embodies
what has become known as true venture
philanthropy or entrepreneurial idealism.
Chabad delivers instant tangible results,
which is what any shrewd
investor appreciates or giant of
industry demands in today's
fast-paced world. Donations are
not swallowed up by antiquated
mechanical financial infra-
structures; there is no red tape,
application processes, panels
or mazes of bureaucracy. The
Chabad institutions are focused
on the immediacy of the task
at hand and are adverse to any-
thing that will slow them down.
Additionally, donors can
be sure that a donation to a
Chabad establishment will support a
Jewish cause. The federations, by contrast,
earmark large contributions for general
humanitarian causes in the spirit of tikkun
olam, or repair of the world; but with so
many modern-day Jewish challenges with
which to contend, many donors are saying
that our own should come first.
Much of the donor interest in Chabad
can be crystallized further by making
a comparison to the Tea Party move-
ment. The movement's primary concerns
include, but are not limited to, cutting
back the size of government, reducing
wasteful spending, reducing the national
debt and adherence to an original inter-
pretation of the U.S. Constitution.
Chabad's primary concerns include cut-
ting back the top-down, parochial mode
of Jewish practice, maximizing the use of
every philanthropic dollar (there are no
earmarks or pork barrel spending), lifting
the pride and confidence of the Jewish
people, and adherence to an original inter-
pretation of Jewish law.
Chabad is a purist, entrepreneurial,
visionary and versatile, action-oriented
and results-driven organization. For ven-
ture philanthropists seeking immediate
high returns, there is no better invest-
ment.
❑
Dovid Efune is director of the Algemeiner
Journal and the GJCF-the Gershon Jacobson
Jewish Continuity Foundation.
December 2 • 2010
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