THE FORWARD
Despite Withdrawal of Hillel Support, Jewish Students Hold Nakba Commemoration Event
by Helen Chernikoff
May 12, 2016

Jewish students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design decided to hold a May 11 event at their Hillel building focused on the Palestinian experience of Israeli independence in defiance of what they called “pressure” from Hillel International, according to two students with direct knowledge of the event who spoke anonymously to protect their relationships with all members of the Hillel community. In a statement, Hillel International said it supported Brown RISD Hillel’s decision to cancel the event because the program was “inconsistent with Hillel’s mission and values.” J Street U, Brown-RISD’s joint Hillel Student Board and Brown Students for Israel, the event’s original sponsors, had timed it to coincide with Israel’s independence day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, which started that night…The event took place despite the cancellation because about 70 students decided to move ahead without the official backing of the original organizations. READ MORE