Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/917841
D efying democratic principles and ethical standards for aca- demic integrity, the University of Michigan allowed Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) to browbeat their way into passing a boycott-of-Israel initiative. Frustrated by 10 prior attempts to pass a largely unpopular BDS initiative, SAFE resorted to unethical tactics to achieve their ultimate goal. Last year's vote was dramatically different from this year. How did SAFE successfully achieve a hostile takeover at the University of Michigan? Clearly, the same rules for conduct, civility and aca- demic integrity don't apply to Palestinian solidarity groups like SAFE, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. However, according to SAFE's own code of con- duct, "SAFE rejects any form of hatred or discrimination against any religions, racial or ethnic group." At its core, the BDS agenda is anti- Semitic because its founder, Omar Barghouti, advocates for a one-state "from the river to the sea" ideology. SAFE's campaign symbolizes the abject failure of universities to rein in groups promoting hate and intolerance. Ted Poe, chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, described the BDS movement as "a threat which seeks [Israel's] ultimate destruction." According to the Wall Street Journal, a federal lawsuit uncovered emails from Jasbir Puar, an associate profes- sor of women's and gender studies at Rutgers, who "actively tried to stack the National Council of the Association of American Universities with boycott backers." Various members of the asso- ciation deliberately concealed their BDS agenda. Puar's emails reveal she consulted with Barghouti on a national strategy to infiltrate American universities before distributing documents to boycott members. Puar, much like the movement she embraces, is shrouded in secrecy. She doesn't allow her lec- tures to be filmed. Universities enable Palestinian stu- dent groups by allowing unbridled arrogance to seep into campus culture. "Truth can emerge only through unfet- tered inquiry," according to University of Michigan's Victor Lieberman, a professor who teaches a course on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but was denied permission to speak in defense of Israel. SAFE refuses to adopt a platform of a peaceful, two-state solution. SAFE, SJP and JVP all refuse to engage in debate. Intellectual laziness and uncontrollable self-righteousness reflect a deeper problem within aca- demia. Universities forgot their fundamental role in developing critical thinking. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal that exam- ined test scores at more than 100 American colleges, it was discovered that "at least one- third of seniors were incapable of mak- ing an argument weighing evidence, among other tasks of critical thinking." Threatened by throngs of uncivil millennials, universities have relented by becoming repositories of radical thought and violent resistance. Aren't universities expected to expand one's mind, not to shrink it to a dangerous ideology? Why do universities permit millennials with undeveloped morals to create a toxic learning environment? University of Michigan needs to level the playing field by creating some real-life rules for these student groups. If UM/Divest and SAFE believe in the principles of BDS, then their identi- ties should be as public as their pro- nouncements. Strength of conviction demand the courage to publicly stand behind your political choices despite the consequences. The most troubling sign in the SAFE debacle lies within its Facebook page. A post that reads, "All of the wonderful groups who are standing in solidarity with us tonight at U-M Divest" shows a poster of various groups like JVP, SDS and Yemeni Students Association next to the official logo of the NAACP. A call to the NAACP, which passed a resolu- tion in 1948 recognizing the state of Israel, confirmed their shock at the false endorsement. SAFE's activities prompt new ques- tions about the legal, moral and ethi- cal implications of allowing student groups to promote their hateful ideol- ogy by deceptive practices. • Deborah Friedman is a marketing specialist from Hillsborough, N.C. 8 December 21 • 2017 jn Deborah Friedman 8 December 21 • 2017 jn commentary Hostile Takeover By SAFE At University Of Michigan views many unresolved questions regarding future real estate needs for our com- munity that would directly impact this project. This is a time of significant changes in the demographics of our community, as well as in the econom- ics of running a nonprofit social ser- vice agency. If we don't understand these trends clearly, we risk creating facilities that don't fit the community's current and future needs. There are some difficult questions to consider: Do our agencies have the right facilities to deliver services today, and how might the concept of sharing space and other resources affect their ability to serve their cus- tomers in the future? Where is the Jewish population headed and what does this mean for the array of facili- ties we are considering? Could some of the more expensive facilities, such as a pool that offers same-gender swim hours, be better offered through public city resources? As we consider these and other important questions, we are taking specific actions to better prepare for a significant investment in commu- nal resources that will serve us for decades to come. LOOKING AHEAD First, we are undertaking a new popu- lation study. Our last comprehensive study was in 2005 — before the finan- cial crisis and subsequent recovery — and since then much has changed. We need a better picture of where Jews are living and how they're engaging Jewish life. We need to know how our community is aging and where young families are raising their kids. The new population study will begin in January 2018, and results are expected by the end of the summer. Second, we are implementing a collaborative assessment of our com- munity's institutional needs and resources. Many of our organizations, including congregations and organiza- tions beyond the Federation's partner agencies, confront tight budgets, expensive deferred maintenance back- logs and high overhead costs for un- derutilized facilities. This assessment, combined with the population study findings, will allow us to develop a for- ward-thinking strategy that alleviates these challenges and instead allows our organizations to focus on serving the needs of the community. These initiatives will not be com- pleted until next summer, at the soon- est, and, therefore, we will not be able to announce any decisions on the pro- posed JPM facility until then. Again, we recognize that much time has already passed, and that this repre- sents another long stretch of inactivity on the JPM site. The additional time, no matter how painful, is necessary in that it will allow us to make better decisions for the future of our commu- nity. The goal is not to put this off, but to do it right: Assessing, updating and right-sizing facilities across our entire Metro Detroit community, including on both the Taubman and Applebaum campuses, will ensure that our agen- cies are able to offer programs and services in an effective and cost-effi- cient manner. At the same time, we are con- fronting a number of other urgent issues affecting our community. One example is the teen mental health epi- demic, reflected in the unprecedented number of Jewish teens struggling with depression and anxiety. The Jewish Federation is taking the lead role in coordinating community-wide awareness and outreach efforts to de- stigmatize mental health problems and create opportunities for teens and their families to get help. There are other critical initiatives for our growing population of older adults, for individuals with special needs, and a number of other vulnerable popula- tions that are being affected by chang- es in our local and national economy. We do not always move as quickly as many would hope, nor do we always get each decision right. Every decision that is made, however — and there have been many difficult ones in recent years — reflects the criti- cal need to maintain the security and welfare of individuals across Jewish Detroit and to maintain the strength and vibrancy of our community for the future. This is our mission, and we remain incredibly proud of the Federation staff and cadre of volun- teers who truly work tirelessly to make this a reality. We are also grateful to the passion- ate community members who have shared their thoughts, their hopes and their frustrations. This undertaking is a community effort, and, as we men- tioned, the Federation is committed to increasing the transparency of the process. In that spirit, questions and comments can be sent to jewishfederation@jfmd.org. We will answer all inquiries as soon as pos- sible. • Scott Kaufman is CEO and Beverly Liss is presi- dent of the Jewish Fe deration of Metropolitan Detroit. Alan Jay Kaufman is president of the United Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit. continued from page 6 guest column Every decision that is made, however — and there have been many difficult ones in recent years — reflects the critical need to maintain the security and welfare of individuals across Jewish Detroit.