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One of the representatives of the University of Jerusalem, Gil Hoffman, met on Monday with Israel to discuss Israeli politics and the Boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on and off university campuses.
The BDS is a global movement that encourages boycotts and divestment of Israeli companies, as well as the imposition of sanctions on Israel until the country restores the rights of Palestinians in the region it now occupies.
During his speech, which he described as a "stimulus speech," Hoffman denounced the BDS, calling it a marginal movement with no real impact on Israel. To defend his point of view, Hoffman recalled his experiences of working with economists who evaluate the strength of the Israeli economy.
"Normally, I'm the only briefing [credit agencies] for an hour and a half on Israeli politics and its impact on the economy, then I ask them a question: what has been the impact of the BDS movement on the Israeli economy? ", said Hoffman to the audience of about 15 people." They study this every year, in case it changes, and they would conclude each year that the economic impact of the BDS on Israel was zero They are not Zionists, they are cold British economists who are looking at facts and figures. "
Hoffman went on to say that the only impact of BDS on university campuses was to sow fear among Jewish students who supported Israel.
"The only impact of BDS is that it scares Jewish children to identify themselves as Jews," Hoffman said. "That's all they accomplished. They are here for you. They are here to make your life difficult. Realize that you are in a bubble here in a university and that you will then live in the real world between two and four years, and that is all. "
At the event, Realize Israel members expressed their frustration at the lack of student government representation and recent BDS Resolution which was presented to the government student badembly on November 2nd. If adopted, the resolution would require the NYU to withdraw business investment related to the ill-treatment of Palestinians.
Realizing Israel President Adela Cojab, a leader of Gallatin, lamented that Jewish students in Israel did not speak clearly on campus, leading to increased opposition to Israel.
"We have opposed any speaking and we are now at a point where if the balance of the voices, as if everyone had a voice, say 94% of the Jewish community for Israel and 2% of the population. Jewish community against Israel because we have not spoken now, it seems like it's a 50/50 or 60/40 scale, "said Cojab.
Lauren Sobel, a member of Israel and a member of Gallatin, understood that Hoffman's message to Realize Israel gave more power.
"He preaches to create an understanding between people by love and not by hate. That's the message I picked, "said Sobel. "Fight with facts and positivity. Do not succumb to hatred and negativity for others. "
Ari Spitzer, vice president of Realize Israel and senior of Stern, enjoyed hearing Hoffman's views on BDS for the organization, but said the speech was moving away from Israeli politics.
"I think he gave a lot of interesting advice, but for me personally, we wanted to get him to talk about the deep and deep understanding of Israeli politics and domestic affairs, which he has a bit hasty at the end, and the crowd wanted to know more about the stimulating dialogue part, "said Spitzer.
Despite club members' frustration at the impact of the BDS movement at NYU, Hoffman continued to encourage students to spread love and positivity.
"My advice is what most experts have said and it makes a lot of sense for me, which is to focus on people between converts and convertibles, and my advice is to choke them out of love," said Hoffman.
Email Meghna Maharishi to [email protected].
Email Meghna Maharishi to [email protected]
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