FROM STAND WITH US:
Dear Friends of Israel,
The student community at UC San Diego is once again facing a divestment debate this evening, Wednesday May 5th.
The anti-Israel leadership has already started sending emails, letters, petitions, and propaganda campaigns to promote their mission for the sake of demonizing Israel on campus.
The anti-Israel group is calling for their supporters to show up in huge numbers. They are saying that "This historic resolution is a huge step forward for our cause."
The location of the meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.
at UCSD Price Center Ballroom East
Address: 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093
Anti-Israel leadership is asking people to write letters to the ASUCSD Council Members, and we must encourage friends of Israel to do the same. The addresses and sample letter are below.
Please forward this call to action to your friends.
Write a short letter to the Associated Students president,
the UC San Diego chancellor, and the president of the University of California regarding the divestment bill at UC San Diego.
The subject of the e-mail can read, "Please say NO to the unfair divestment bill."
Below is a sample letter.
Please feel free to copy and paste it, or write a letter of your own.
Please do this by 4:00 o'clock today, Wednesday, May 5.
Sample Letter:
I urge you to vote NO to the anti-Israel divestment bill. The bill is a manipulative way to push an extremist agenda that seeks to marginalize Israel and anyone who supports it on campus. It should be clear to you that the one-sided nature of the bill divided students at Berkeley and has divided the UCSD student body. There are consequences for this division, including name calling and even swastikas at Berkeley.
It should also be clear that Hamas and terrorism are missing from the bill and from all the speeches being made by the pro-divestment side, in an effort to demonize Israel. If the group presenting this bill were truly pro-Palestinian, they would be working to promote peace, and they would be working against Hamas. They would be concerned about the suffering of both people, and they would talk about the context instead of only addressing Israel's response to terrorism.
Simply put: Unfortunately, on campuses across the country, this aggressive campaign is being used to empower the political aims of an extremist and hostile group that seeks to promote one-sided propaganda against Israel.
Please vote no on divestment.
Thank you so much for your urgent consideration.
Sign your name, school, affiliation, etc.
E-mail your letter to:
aspresident@ucsd.edu , chancellor@ucsd.edu , president@ucop.edu
Please Cc your letter to: o1khan@ucsd.edu , jehrhart@ucsd.edu , thaglund@ucsd.edu , katiehall007@gmail.com , akenwort@ucsd.edu , bpena@ucsd.edu , dprevo@ucsd.edu , cbthomas@ucsd.edu , a6vu@ucsd.edu , k1hoang@ucsd.edu , tppham@ucsd.edu , mfvalent@ucsd.edu , bmceuen@ucsd.edu , rorear@ucsd.edu , lswerhon@ucsd.edu , velin@ucsd.edu, jnstorey@ucsd.edu , nmetildi@ucsd.edu , pnuth@ucsd.edu , jdcondel@ucsd.edu , MegChat101@gmail.com , iiahmed@ucsd.edu , a2powers@ucsd.edu , jsgrossm@ucsd.edu , awing@ucsd.edu , asvpstudentlife@ucsd.edu , asvpexternal@ucsd.edu , asvpfinance@ucsd.edu , with a copy to info@standwithus.com
Thank you in advance for helping the UCSD pro-Israel, pro-peace student community.
SAN DIEGO–“How dare you silence us? Free, free Palestine! From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” shouted the UC San Diego [UCSD] divestment crowd as they stormed out of the student senate tonight, May 5, after their divestment bill was rejected yet again.
ReplyDeleteAbout 100 people attended Wedneday’s meeting, and around 30 people spoke for or against the proposal.
When they first introduced the divestment measure at last week’s student senate meeting, a marathon debate ensued. The resolution was dramatically amended and then sent to a committee composed of an equal number of proponents and opponents of the measure. They were tasked with finding a compromise resolution. That effort failed, and there was more debate on Wednesday night.
When pro-Israel students presented their views, the divestment group often snickered. One pro-Israel student said that “Our side was targeted, and we were defamed by the pro-divestment side. They were aggressive. It was tough to be in that room tonight.”
The pro-Israel students wore UCSD shirts and held signs that read, “Divestment Divides our Campus.” Adam Teitelbaum, a UCSD student, told me that “The pro-Israel students at UCSD stood strong tonight.”
After the senate heard all the statements, it voted to leave the divestment resolution in committee and to table it indefinitely.
The pro-Israel students are concerned because the senate is meeting again next week, and the divestment camp could come up with a new surprise to try once again to get some form of divestment passed.
But as of Wednesday night, divestment was rejected once again.
http://sdjewishworld.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/ucsd-student-senate-rejects-israel-divestment-second-time/
Thank Hashem the issue was tabled and then rejected.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Hamas never addressed as the perpetrator of violence? We know the answer.
hank you for your e-mail regarding the recent bills regarding divestment by the University from companies doing business in Israel put forward by the student governments on several UC campuses. I appreciate your taking the time to write and express your views. I have received close to 10,000 messages regarding this issue, so I hope you will understand the necessity of my sending this same response to all. Attached for your information is a statement the Chairman and Vice Chair of the University of California’s Board of Regents and I have issued regarding the question of divestment.
ReplyDeleteWith best wishes, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Mark G. Yudof
President
University of California
University of California
Statement on Divestment
Russell Gould, Chairman, Board of Regents
Sherry L. Lansing, Vice Chair, Board of Regents
Mark G. Yudof, President of the University
Recently, there have been two bills put forward for a vote before student organizations within the University of California that call on the University to divest from companies doing business with Israel. Understandably, these bills have received considerable attention from the public and the media.
The overarching question of the University of California divesting from any company is a complex one and any action considered must conform to State and federal laws, as well as to the University’s fiduciary responsibilities as a public entity to protect the security of its pension and endowment funds. In 2005, the Regents stated that a policy of divestment from a foreign government shall be adopted by the University only when the United States government declares that a foreign regime is committing acts of genocide. It was also noted at the time that divestment is a serious decision that should be rarely pursued.
We share The Regents’ belief that divestment needs to be undertaken with caution. We firmly believe that if there is to be any discussion of divestment from a business or country, it must be robust and fair-minded. We must take great care that no one organization or country is held to a different standard than any other. In the current resolutions voted on by the UC student organizations, the State of Israel and companies doing business with Israel have been the sole focus. This isolation of Israel among all countries of the world greatly disturbs us and is of grave concern to members of the Jewish community.
We fully support the Board of Regents in its policy to divest from a foreign government or companies doing business with a foreign government only when the United States government declares that a foreign regime is committing acts of genocide. The U.S. has not made any declaration regarding the State of Israel and, therefore, we will not bring a recommendation before the Board to divest from companies doing business with the State of Israel.