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Why I Am Resigning as a Brown Trustee
(Wall Street Journal) Joseph Edelman - As a member of the Brown University board of trustees, I disagree with the upcoming divestment vote on Israel. I am concerned about what Brown's willingness to hold such a vote suggests about the university's attitude toward rising antisemitism on campus and a growing political movement that seeks the destruction of the State of Israel. I find it morally reprehensible that holding a divestment vote was even considered, much less that it will be held - especially in the wake of the deadliest assault on the Jewish people since the Holocaust on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel, like all nations, has a moral duty to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks, and that is exactly what it has been doing. It is revealing that only Israel is expected to restrain itself because of the civilian lives that will tragically be lost in war. The university leadership has for some reason chosen to reward, rather than punish, the activists for disrupting campus life, breaking school rules, and promoting violence and antisemitism at Brown. Leading pro-boycott groups have ties to terrorist organizations that seek the annihilation of the Jewish people. I can't accept the treatment of a hate movement as legitimate and deserving of a hearing. It's as if the Brown board has agreed to vote on whether Israel has a right to defend itself, whether Israel has a right to exist, and even whether Jews have a right to exist.