A Letter to the Editor is a column written by a writer, sent in for publication in response to a column or article previously published. This is a response to Aviad Levy’s 4/15 guest column.
In a guest column published on April 15, Aviad Levy argued the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement is inherently antisemitic and violent. I am here to say that not only is BDS not antisemitic — it is also a moral necessity and embraced by a diverse coalition of activists to specifically combat violence. Tuesday’s Student Association (SA) Congress 14-11 vote in favor of the divestment resolution is a critical step in the process of divesting military aid and economic support from the Israeli state.
The movement includes a large number of Jewish anti-war activists who believe the Israeli state’s violence and occupation do not represent their voices. Trying to drown out these voices means silencing Jews who inconvenience the Zionist narrative. This is antisemitic. We are not a homogenous community, but Binghamton University’s Zionist Organization (BUZO) and its allies want to erase Jews who do not match their desired image. I’m tired of having to prove my Jewishness before speaking out on the genocide in Gaza. As the great Jewish academic Judith Butler asked, “why would a non-violent movement to achieve basic political rights for Palestinians be understood as antisemitic?” Antisemitism is being used as a shield from criticizing Israeli policies and actions, making anti-Zionist Jews a nuisance.
Fearmongering over a rise in antisemitism correlated with divestment campaigns is frankly ridiculous. Smears of Divest from Death’s divisiveness couldn’t be further from the truth — over 20 diverse student organizations have signed onto the movement. We are pushing for peace. Levy says BDS “seek[s] the destruction” of the Israeli state while BUZO stays silent on the destruction of Gazan livelihood. We are talking about ending an economic relationship with companies arming Israel and helping it carry out its genocide and, as a University, economic power is our most impactful tool in advocating for peace. If BUZO has a different idea for ending the violence in Gaza, they should make that known, but so far, they have not. It is also deeply ironic that Levy’s authoritative voice on genocide is Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, given his previous job was sitting on the board of Raytheon Technologies, one of the largest defense contractors in the United States, which is also one of Israel’s biggest defense partners.
Despite mentioning antisemitism seven times, Levy does not acknowledge the dangerous rise in Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism seen across the nation’s campuses. Fueled by the shooting of three Palestinians in Vermont in November, Muslim and Arab students are afraid. I have not met an Arab activist on campus who has not been on the receiving end of some sort of harassment. Pro-Palestinian activists are made to repeatedly prove they aren’t antisemitic, but Zionist activists are not made to prove their aversion to Islamophobia.
Levy also claims BDS will hurt Palestinians economically. Where did this empathy come from? Divest From Death has acknowledged the tragic death of around 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, but BUZO has still not publicly denounced the killing of over 34,000 Palestinians on their Instagram. Where was their condemnation of the United States cutting United Nations Relief and Works Agency funding? Of Israel targeting aid workers? How about the destruction of every university in Gaza? Until they show they genuinely care about Palestinian livelihood, their concern about BDS’ effect on Palestinian workers should not be treated as legitimate.
Economic boycotts have been successful tactics in Jim Crow America and apartheid South Africa — in which SUNY divested $11,512,994 from companies partnered with the apartheid regime. With what Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called an apartheid state, Israel should be the next target of coordinated boycotts and divestments. The Divest from Death campaign is comprised of Black, Latino, Arab, Queer, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh voices. We are a unified body demanding a boycott of Israel to push an end to the indiscriminate violence against Palestinians. University President Harvey Stenger will have no choice but to listen to the growing support for divestment among the student body exemplified by our win on Tuesday. Hours of filibustering and unnecessary bureaucracy did not stop a dedicated and persistent student movement against funding the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
We don’t hate Jews, we hate genocide. Join the movement if you do too.
Nathan Sommer is a junior majoring in history.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the views of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial.