BUZZ
Key Takeaways
- The University of Maryland student government passed a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions resolution against Israel during Yom Kippur, a decision criticized for being made on a Jewish holiday when many Jewish students could not participate.
- The resolution, which passed 29-0-1, calls for disassociation from entities supporting Israel's policies; however, the university clarified it has no obligation to implement it.
University of Maryland’s student government passed a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions resolution last week during a vote scheduled for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
The resolution “urges this university and its charitable foundation to disassociate from companies, institutions and academic entities that ‘support or profit from Israel’s regime of apartheid and occupation,'” according to The Diamondback.
It passed 29-0-1, according to the student newspaper. “Many Jewish community members said the scheduling restricted them from participating in the SGA’s democratic process,” the student newspaper reported.
There were other meetings beforehand, however, according to the student newspaper. “The resolution was originally scheduled to be introduced at the Sept. 17 SGA meeting and voted on last week, during the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah,” the student newspaper reported. “SGA held two committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday where students could voice their concerns.”
However, the university has no plans to implement the resolution. “Resolutions voted on by the Student Government Association are student-led and reflect perspectives of voting members of the SGA,” a spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon. “They have no bearing on university policy or practice.”
The passage drew praise from the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Maryland chapter.
“We applaud UMD students for standing on the right side of history,” Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry stated in a news release. “At a time when Palestinians are enduring unspeakable suffering unfolding on the global stage, the association’s moral courage and perseverance demonstrate the power of collective action rooted in truth and respect for basic human dignity.”
The group previously led a cancel campaign against a planned presentation by a surgeon who also served in the Israeli Defense Forces. Dr. Elon Glassberg planned to speak at the University of Maryland medical school, until CAIR pressured the university to drop the speech. The university cited “safety concerns” in its decision.
Jewish community members, meanwhile, criticized the vote and its timing.
“Holding a vote that seeks to demonize the Jewish homeland on a day when Jewish students will not be able to participate is exclusionary, biased and flat-out wrong,” Maryland Hillel stated, as reported by the student newspaper.
A junior at the university criticized the vote in comments to the Washington Free Beacon.
“Unfortunately, the bill passed as Jewish students were forced to choose between religious observance and defending their place on campus,” Lucy Schneider told the Free Beacon. She criticized the “constant targeting of Jewish students” by the student government, which “clearly shows their efforts to marginalize and silence us, but we will not let their hateful actions stop us from proudly showing our identity and celebrating our faith.”
University of Maryland student Abel Amene did not see any issue with voting on the resolution during a Jewish holiday, as reported by the student newspaper.
“I know some Zionists and Jewish exceptionalists have claimed that today is not the day to bring this resolution to a vote,” Amene said. “But I ask you this simple question, if the genocide is occurring on a Jewish holiday … should we wait until tomorrow or the next day to do the little work we can do in our power to stop that genocide?”
Amene sponsored a similar resolution last year, according to another campus publication called The Black Explosion.
The 39-year-old college student has previously been banned from campus for sleeping in buildings after dropping out two decades ago for lack of money. He now is back in college, partially with the help of the university’s “LGBT Advocacy Scholarship.”
“Abel serves as one of the co-secretaries of the UMD Student for Justice in Palestine,” according to the university. “Abel is also involved in the Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter on our campus.”
