THE TOWER
“Open Hillel” Opposes More Funding For Hillels—And For the Wrong Reasons, Too
by Aiden Pink
November 3, 2016

…Open Hillel is a national advocacy group that, in its own words, “promotes pluralism and open discourse on Israel-Palestine in Jewish communities on campus and beyond.” It does this by pressuring Jewish organizations like Hillel International, the main center of Jewish life on college campuses, to eliminate its rules that prevent, say, Hamas supporters from lecturing in its facilities. The group believes that only by exposing Jewish students to all perspectives on the Middle East—including perspectives that tacitly advocate the ethnic cleansing of students’ friends and relatives—can Jewish institutions “honestly reflect the diversity of viewpoints found within the communities that they serve.” Open Hillel claims that “we don’t take any positions on Israel/Palestine”—they only want all voices to be heard, including those who campaign for Israel’s destruction. READ MORE