New School Student Senate Sanctions Hillel Over Program With Israeli Military

"His inaugural act was to call a vote on a first-of-its-kind resolution to sanction Hillel at The New School. This vote followed the release of a 38-page report detailing Hillel's potential violations of international law. The report, conducted by a student committee, outlines Hillel's participation in programs with the Israeli military. Before and during Israel's genocide in Gaza, the campus organization was linked to a volunteer program at Israeli military bases from which attacks on Gaza and Lebanon originated."

"Glickman stood in front of the student senate. "I laid out the facts of the report," he told Truthout. "I tried to keep it brief and towards the end I said: 'This is one of the most principled acts that you can make while you're in the Senate. This is much bigger than us. This has the potential to change the student movement in the U.S.'" With that, the Senate took an anonymous vote and the resolution passed with a majority - designating Hillel at The New School "not in good standing" and ineligible for student funding."

"The New School Student Senate's decision signals a possible shift in the strategy of the campus movement for Palestine: Instead of attempting to sway unaccountable boards of directors, some students are finding new ways to exercise the power they hold themselves. Mopping the Floors of Military Bases In January, the USS outlined its strategic goals for the year, among them ensuring that all registered student organizations adhere to international law."

Ryder Glickman’s first act as chair of The New School University Student Senate was to call a vote on a resolution to sanction Hillel at The New School. The vote followed a 38-page report prepared by a student committee that described potential violations of international law. The report linked Hillel’s participation in programs with the Israeli military. It also connected the organization to a volunteer program at Israeli military bases from which attacks on Gaza and Lebanon originated. After Glickman presented the report’s facts, the senate took an anonymous vote and passed the resolution with a majority. The decision designated Hillel as not in good standing and made it ineligible for student funding, signaling a shift toward using student-held power rather than trying to influence boards of directors.

Read at Truthout