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Hostile Takeover By SAFE
At University Of Michigan
D
efying democratic principles
and ethical standards for aca-
demic integrity, the University
of Michigan allowed Students Allied
for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) to
browbeat their way into passing a
boycott-of-Israel initiative. Frustrated
by 10 prior attempts to pass a largely
unpopular BDS initiative, SAFE
resorted to unethical tactics to achieve
their ultimate goal. Last year’s vote was
dramatically different from this year.
a peaceful, two-state solution.
How did SAFE successfully
SAFE, SJP and JVP all refuse to
achieve a hostile takeover at
engage in debate. Intellectual
the University of Michigan?
laziness and uncontrollable
Clearly, the same rules for
self-righteousness reflect a
conduct, civility and aca-
deeper problem within aca-
demic integrity don’t apply to
demia. Universities forgot
Palestinian solidarity groups
their fundamental role in
like SAFE, Students for Justice
developing critical thinking.
in Palestine and Jewish Voice
According to a report in the
for Peace. However, according Deborah
Friedman
Wall Street Journal that exam-
to SAFE’s own code of con-
ined test scores at more than
duct, “SAFE rejects any form
100 American colleges, it was
of hatred or discrimination
discovered that “at least one-
against any religions, racial or
third of seniors were incapable of mak-
ethnic group.”
ing an argument weighing evidence,
At its core, the BDS agenda is anti-
among other tasks of critical thinking.”
Semitic because its founder, Omar
Threatened by throngs of uncivil
Barghouti, advocates for a one-state
millennials, universities have relented
“from the river to the sea” ideology.
by becoming repositories of radical
SAFE’s campaign symbolizes
thought and violent resistance. Aren’t
the abject failure of universities to
universities expected to expand one’s
rein in groups promoting hate and
mind, not to shrink it to a dangerous
intolerance. Ted Poe, chairman of
ideology? Why do universities permit
the Subcommittee on Terrorism,
millennials with undeveloped morals
Nonproliferation and Trade, described
to create a toxic learning environment?
the BDS movement as “a threat which
University of Michigan needs to
seeks [Israel’s] ultimate destruction.”
level the playing field by creating some
According to the Wall Street Journal,
real-life rules for these student groups.
a federal lawsuit uncovered emails
If UM/Divest and SAFE believe in the
from Jasbir Puar, an associate profes-
principles of BDS, then their identi-
sor of women’s and gender studies at
ties should be as public as their pro-
Rutgers, who “actively tried to stack
the National Council of the Association nouncements. Strength of conviction
demand the courage to publicly stand
of American Universities with boycott
backers.” Various members of the asso- behind your political choices despite
the consequences.
ciation deliberately concealed their
The most troubling sign in the SAFE
BDS agenda.
debacle lies within its Facebook page.
Puar’s emails reveal she consulted
A post that reads, “All of the wonderful
with Barghouti on a national strategy
groups who are standing in solidarity
to infiltrate American universities
with us tonight at U-M Divest” shows
before distributing documents to
a poster of various groups like JVP, SDS
boycott members. Puar, much like the
and Yemeni Students Association next
movement she embraces, is shrouded
to the official logo of the NAACP. A call
in secrecy. She doesn’t allow her lec-
to the NAACP, which passed a resolu-
tures to be filmed.
tion in 1948 recognizing the state of
Universities enable Palestinian stu-
Israel, confirmed their shock at the
dent groups by allowing unbridled
arrogance to seep into campus culture. false endorsement.
SAFE’s activities prompt new ques-
“Truth can emerge only through unfet-
tions about the legal, moral and ethi-
tered inquiry,” according to University
cal implications of allowing student
of Michigan’s Victor Lieberman, a
groups to promote their hateful ideol-
professor who teaches a course on the
ogy by deceptive practices. •
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but was
denied permission to speak in defense
Deborah Friedman is a marketing specialist from
of Israel.
Hillsborough, N.C.
SAFE refuses to adopt a platform of
8
December 21 • 2017
jn
Every decision that is made, however — and there
have been many difficult ones in recent years —
reflects the critical need to maintain the security
and welfare of individuals across Jewish Detroit.
many unresolved questions regarding
future real estate needs for our com-
munity that would directly impact this
project. This is a time of significant
changes in the demographics of our
community, as well as in the econom-
ics of running a nonprofit social ser-
vice agency. If we don’t understand
these trends clearly, we risk creating
facilities that don’t fit the community’s
current and future needs.
There are some difficult questions
to consider: Do our agencies have
the right facilities to deliver services
today, and how might the concept of
sharing space and other resources
affect their ability to serve their cus-
tomers in the future? Where is the
Jewish population headed and what
does this mean for the array of facili-
ties we are considering? Could some
of the more expensive facilities, such
as a pool that offers same-gender
swim hours, be better offered through
public city resources?
As we consider these and other
important questions, we are taking
specific actions to better prepare for
a significant investment in commu-
nal resources that will serve us for
decades to come.
LOOKING AHEAD
First, we are undertaking a new popu-
lation study. Our last comprehensive
study was in 2005 — before the finan-
cial crisis and subsequent recovery —
and since then much has changed. We
need a better picture of where Jews
are living and how they’re engaging
Jewish life. We need to know how our
community is aging and where young
families are raising their kids. The new
population study will begin in January
2018, and results are expected by the
end of the summer.
Second, we are implementing a
collaborative assessment of our com-
munity’s institutional needs and
resources. Many of our organizations,
including congregations and organiza-
tions beyond the Federation’s partner
agencies, confront tight budgets,
expensive deferred maintenance back-
logs and high overhead costs for un-
derutilized facilities. This assessment,
combined with the population study
findings, will allow us to develop a for-
ward-thinking strategy that alleviates
these challenges and instead allows
our organizations to focus on serving
the needs of the community.
These initiatives will not be com-
pleted until next summer, at the soon-
est, and, therefore, we will not be able
to announce any decisions on the pro-
posed JPM facility until then. Again,
we recognize that much time has
already passed, and that this repre-
sents another long stretch of inactivity
on the JPM site. The additional time,
no matter how painful, is necessary
in that it will allow us to make better
decisions for the future of our commu-
nity. The goal is not to put this off, but
to do it right: Assessing, updating and
right-sizing facilities across our entire
Metro Detroit community, including
on both the Taubman and Applebaum
campuses, will ensure that our agen-
cies are able to offer programs and
services in an effective and cost-effi-
cient manner.
At the same time, we are con-
fronting a number of other urgent
issues affecting our community. One
example is the teen mental health epi-
demic, reflected in the unprecedented
number of Jewish teens struggling
with depression and anxiety. The
Jewish Federation is taking the lead
role in coordinating community-wide
awareness and outreach efforts to de-
stigmatize mental health problems
and create opportunities for teens
and their families to get help. There
are other critical initiatives for our
growing population of older adults, for
individuals with special needs, and a
number of other vulnerable popula-
tions that are being affected by chang-
es in our local and national economy.
We do not always move as quickly
as many would hope, nor do we
always get each decision right. Every
decision that is made, however — and
there have been many difficult ones
in recent years — reflects the criti-
cal need to maintain the security and
welfare of individuals across Jewish
Detroit and to maintain the strength
and vibrancy of our community for
the future. This is our mission, and
we remain incredibly proud of the
Federation staff and cadre of volun-
teers who truly work tirelessly to make
this a reality.
We are also grateful to the passion-
ate community members who have
shared their thoughts, their hopes and
their frustrations. This undertaking is
a community effort, and, as we men-
tioned, the Federation is committed
to increasing the transparency of the
process. In that spirit, questions and
comments can be sent to
jewishfederation@jfmd.org. We will
answer all inquiries as soon as pos-
sible. •
Scott Kaufman is CEO and Beverly Liss is presi-
dent of the Jewish Fe deration of Metropolitan
Detroit. Alan Jay Kaufman is president of the
United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan
Detroit.