In Manhattan at the New School, there are thousands of protestors screaming to “Free Palestine” and encouraging violence with “Globalizing the Intifada” and from The River to the Sea, Palestine will be free. This has been going on for months, and trustees allow it.
Intimidating Jews, practicing Anti-Semitism, a purely Anti-American school – The New School is among the first schools to surrender to terror – have agreed to a vote by the Board of Trustees on “whether or not to completely divest in (Israeli) companies identified.”
New School also calls “for complete divestment from industries implicated in military and police violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and all global militarized conflict such as companies or subsidiaries involved in weapons manufacturing, military supplies and equipment, military communication, and public surveillance technology.”
At New School, this was overwhelmingly supported by faculty members who demanded the school divest from Israel and vowed not to turn in grades until the students’ demands for divestment from Israel are met.
The purest of Anti-Semitism, a boycott of the Jewish state is being proposed from a major NY University. Governor Hochul remains silent about Anti-Semitism raging in New York, allowing Jews to feel at danger and at New York schools like New School, Syracuse University and NYU, it feels like Hamas USA is on the rise.
As politicians are silent, one wonders why are trustees encouraging and supporting these decisions. The board of Trustees of Universities are the bosses of these schools and responsible for decision. Why are they silent in the face of hatred?
Among those on the board of New School is a long-term donor to UJA, Jeffrey Gural, Chairman of GFP Real Estate, which owns over 13 million square feet in more than 50 properties. When reached for comment, Mr. Gural refused to condemn New School’s proposed boycott of Israel, Anti-Semitism on campus and violent language on campus.
Like many American Jews, he is quiet about threats to the Jewish people in his backyard, refusing to take a meeting with Jewish students from the school in need, justifying a boycott of Israel saying repeatedly “Bibi has done tremendous damage to the state of Israel and the sooner he is gone the better..” No word on what Netanyahu has to do with a proposed boycott which Gural refused to comment on.
Gural would not comment on how he would vote or if he would remain in his role if a full boycott was affected against Israel. He does have many Israeli and Jewish tenants in his buildings and his for-profit businesses definitely won’t turn down Zionist business. Why Mr. Gural remains on the board if he claims to stand with Israel is beyond anyones imagination.
Similarly, Linda Rappaport of A& O Sherman, a leading international law firm is on the board of The New School, yet refused to comment on her firm’s position on a proposed boycott of Israel. While Ms. Rappaport refused to comment on if she would vote for a boycott, her business, A& O Sherman has an Israel head of office, and on their site claim that “diversity, equity and inclusion is a strategic priority for our firm.” No word on how Jews and Israel fit into A&O Shearman who claim to “comprise a huge range of characteristics, backgrounds, perspectives and generations.”
Having leaders who encourage a boycott of Israel and open Anti-Semitism at institutions they lead doesn’t seem to fit the companies ideology, but A & O Sherman would not answer questions about whether they too support a boycott of Israel and if their company will stop serving Israeli businesses.
Franci J. Blassberg is yet another New School board member, she also serves at one of the world’s leading law firms, Debevoise & Plimpton.
Debevoise & Plimpton in the past was involved with “sponsoring an event that will award the United Nations official responsible for pursuing war crimes charges against Israel. ” As Robert Garson, the president of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists said “It is deeply surprising that not only major law firms like White & Case and Debevoise & Plimpton are headline sponsors of the [association’s] conference where a recognized anti-Semite, Navi Pillay, is being honored,” its shameful that these law firms stand with and embrace those who support rape and murder.
Similarly, at Syracuse University, Board Chairman Jeffrey M. Scruggs is a managing director at Goldman Sachs & Co. Syracuse U. has seen convicted murderers on campus at the Hamas encampment, violence against Jews without repercussions and an all-around unfriendly environment for Jews.
One can go on and on and on, but one wonders why in an America supposedly so accepting of diversity and inclusion, do employers like Goldman Sachs, Debevoise & Plimpton and A & O Sherman permit their leadership to serve at Antisemitic institutions.
Would they be senior leaders of American companies and allowed to serve at institutions which were anti-black or anti-gay?
As Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Its sad that major American corporations are taking the side of Jew haters who simply are making life very difficult for Jews at campuses nationwide.
