Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Jackson Richman

“Anti-BDS legislation is about commercial activities, not about people’s ability to speak,” says the 33-year-old. “People are free to criticize Israel; that is a protected right. But organized boycotting and divestment with the support of state, local or federal government is not acceptable.”
Anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head in other ways, he says—not just in temples, but in communities, and in local governments and schools, not to mention on campaign signs.
“The threat of effective BDS right now is minimal, but if its message persuades a new generation of activists who will become social and political leaders, the movement could have a lot more bite,” said research analyst David May.
“I find the poster personally offensive,” said Women’s March Chicago co-organizer Harlene Ellin. “But I respect the right of the [people] carrying it to voice their opinion.”
From wellness centers to addressing BDS and anti-Semitism, Hillel “plays a fundamental role when it comes to creating new avenues for Jewish identity-building that specifically address the changing Jewish community,” says new president and CEO Adam Lehman.
“The people in the state of Idaho are generally very pro-Israel, and that’s just part of our culture, part of our conservative nature,” he told JNS.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) warned that amid the increasing tension between the United States and Iran, “Donald Trump is taking us pell-mell towards another war.”
“What I will NEVER do is pretend that honest criticism of Israeli apartheid policies is anti-semitism. So you won’t see me calling out criticisms of Israeli ethnostatist polices as anti-semitism, because that’s not anti-semitism,” tweeted William Byatt.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi cautioned that “if the Europeans continue the path of surrendering to the U.S. or want to abuse the dispute mechanism, they should prepare to accept the consequences and these consequences have been reminded to them before.”