LOS ANGELES (SDJW) — StandWithUs, a Jewish defense organization, has taken positions on two international controversies.
One is a court case claiming that the administration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engaged in antisemitism by failing to protect harassed Jewish students and faculty at a time of anti-Israel protests.
The other is a recent decision by the membership of the United Auto Workers (UAW) to endorse the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement against Israel and to divest its holdings in Israel Bonds.
Noting that a federal appeals court sided with MIT despite other appeals courts across the nation that had ruled in favor of other Jewish plaintiffs, StandWithUs announced its support for an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The petition asks the Court to provide clarity regarding the obligations of federally-funded institutions and the protections available to students who experience discriminatory harassment,” said Carly F. Gammill, Director of Legal Policy & Litigation at StandWithUs Saidoff Law.
Remembering that a federal court last November fined one UAW chapter $315,000 over its mistreatment of a Jewish union member who opposed BDS, Roz Rothstein, SWU’s CEO and co-founder, issued this statement:
“When a union is forced to pay a $315,000 federal settlement over its treatment of members who opposed BDS, it should be reexamining its priorities, not further embracing the hate movement. Divestment does nothing to bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace, but it does indicate that antisemitism is becoming institutionalized within UAW. We call on the UAW International Executive Board to strongly condemn BDS for seeking to shut down Israeli-Palestinian cooperation and end Israel’s existence.”
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San Diego Jewish World combined and condensed SWU press releases.