On Wednesday night, this university’s Student Government Association (SGA) voted against advancing bill 24-04-10 A, which called for “the University System of Maryland endowment to divest from companies engaged in human rights violations.” Hundreds of students gathered in the Colony Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union to express their concerns, and more than 50 students gave testimony for and against the bill’s passing.
While the bill’s stated purpose was “neither to condemn any country, people, or community,” many Jewish students and other concerned stakeholders argued that this bill’s call for divestment from Israel was a veiled attempt to bring the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS) to this university. Many expressed that conversation surrounding the bill contributed to an unwelcoming environment for Jewish and Israeli students.
“Seeing the pro-BDS supporters at the SGA meetings has been really eye-opening. It emphasized the huge presence of anti-Zionism on campus,” said Sociology student Lily Katz.
A hotly debated topic on campuses across the country, many Jewish students oppose BDS because of the movement’s stated aim to denormalize relations with Israeli organizations, including cultural institutions, in solidarity against the oppression of Palestinians.
This university’s debate surrounding BDS isn’t unique. On Tuesday, Binghamton University’s Student Association Congress voted to pass a similar bill. Rutgers University’s student government voted to divest the same week. Both universities are home to some of the largest campus Jewish communities in the country.
Starting at 6:25 pm, and continuing for two hours, 59 students spoke for and against bill 24-04-10 A.
In her speech, Lucy Schneider, an executive member of the Jewish Student Union said that efforts like this aren’t the most productive way to reach peace. “Instead of enriching our campus experience, we find ourselves fighting a battle that serves no purpose other than to intimidate and marginalize.”
Many Jewish students expressed being present at the meeting was emotionally weighted. “We do not clap when defending ourselves against this bill, and we do not cheer for our speakers. We do not want to be here,” said one speaker.
Some Jewish students spoke about their connections to the State of Israel, mentioning that the companies targeted in the bill also fund the Iron Dome, Israel’s main security system which protects civilians from frequent rocket attacks by its neighbors.
Einav Tsach, a sophomore journalism major, and an Israeli-American, spoke at the meeting. “I regard Israel as my homeland. I’m proud of my Israeli upbringing, one that’s instilled in me values of empathy, humanity and Tikkun Olam, Hebrew for improving the world we live in.”
Many students in favor of divestment recounted the loss of life in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas War. Some students mentioned their personal connections to Gaza and other countries like the Philippines and Yemen. Aside from that, they stated their opposition to defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
Others seemed to be speaking directly at Jewish students. “You think your country is a democracy? Please. If that was the case, Israel wouldn’t ban DNA tests,” said one speaker.
Another claimed anti-divestment speakers were “weaponizing antisemitism.”
This vote took place against the backdrop of a wave of antisemitism across college campuses since Oct. 7 according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Also on Wednesday, Columbia University faced a congressional hearing due to a “stark increase” in antisemitism. There has been a 140% increase of antisemitism nationwide, according to the ADL.
There were a handful of Jewish students who were in favor of the bill.
One was Hershel Barnstein, president of this university’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter. In his speech, Barnstein renounced the significance of Israel to Judaism. “Calling Israel the Jewish state is an insult to all of the thriving Jewish communities in the diaspora.”
Many Jewish students fear conversation surrounding this bill has driven those with opposing beliefs further apart.
Grace Hershberg, a freshman studying Materials Science and Engineering noted this divide. “I felt a lot of division on campus. Hearing disgusting comments in person about people speaking and sharing their pain, and hearing laughs at stories of antisemitism on campus really showed me how divided and hate filled our campus is. I just felt sad that the feelings on campus are so prevalent and run so deep.”
Wednesday’s SGA meeting was the third time a bill calling for divestment from Israel has been proposed at this university in the last decade. In 2017, a similar divestment bill was proposed to the SGA but did not garner enough support to reach a vote. In 2019, another divestment bill was proposed, this time reaching a vote, though ultimately denied.
Despite the movement’s failure to gain traction in the form of a student government bill in the last four years, BDS has remained a concern in the eyes of many Jewish students at this university.
“The Jewish Student Union is relieved by the recent decision by this university’s SGA to reject the proposed BDS resolution, a resolution rooted in an anti-normalization ideology that isolates Jewish and Israeli students,” the Jewish Student Union said in a statement after SGA’s decision was released. “There is no minimizing the civilian suffering in Israel, Gaza and around the world…But we believe the BDS movement is fundamentally misguided in its approach,” they said.
