Hillel at Stanford is committed to a flourishing Jewish and democratic State of Israel. Our Israel programs focus on educational programming, advocacy training, and travel to Israel. From speakers such as Natan Shransky, Michael Oren, and Dennis Ross, to Yom Hatzma'ut Celebrations, the Shultz Fellowship, and Birthright Israel trips - Hillel at Stanford strives to create a safe, welcoming, an inclusive space for our students to learn, discuss, and engage with Israel.
If you have any questions regarding Israel issues on campus in general, or specific programs, email the Jewish Agency forIsrael Fellow, Yaron Fishelson, yaronf@stanford.edu. If you have questions regarding our Israel policies, please contact Rabbi Serena Eisenberg at serenae1@stanford.edu.
To receive periodic updates about Israel new on campus, please sign up for our "Israel Updates" mailing list
here.
Divestment Update
Many have been following the Israel divestment issues at Stanford, in light of a national trend of intensified and sophisticated BDS efforts on college campuses. On February 10th, the Stanford student senate ASSU voted to defeat a divestment resolution, and the following week, in a questionable re-vote, narrowly reversed the decision. The ASSU vote was a symbolic statement to the Board of Trustees, who has an established APIRL committee process for reviewing university investments, who are unlikely to approve any such measure. President Hennessy immediately addressed the issue publicly, and over 100 Stanford faculty signed a statement opposing the recent call for Stanford to divest.
We welcome your efforts to help: 1) sign and circulate the “Coalition for Peace” petition, which has gathered over 3600 student, faculty, alumni, and parent signatures; 2) respectfully thank and express opinions directly to the Stanford administration; 3) Bolster Hillel’s efforts to amplify Israel educational and advocacy programs, as well as our robust and ongoing Jewish life opportunities, such as those featured in this newsletter. With your support, we can continue to create a strong and positive environment for Jewish students at Stanford.