The Forward asked some notable Jews to reflect on the last decade and share its legacy. Stuck between hated nods to the Palestinians from Elliott Abrams and Ed Koch (now there’s a coalition) is this gem from Alisa Solomon:
A Boycott Builds
By Alisa Solomon
After years of building slowly, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement has gained real traction. The BDS conference at Hampshire College in November — which drew students from 40 campuses — marked a watershed in anti-occupation activism in the United States. BDS proponents — many of them Jewish — are picking up a time-honored, non-violent protest tool as they seek meaningful action against the 42-year-old occupation. Charges that these are “antisemitic” efforts to “delegitimize Israel” mischaracterize a multifaceted movement for human and civil rights. As BDS keeps growing, the Jewish community is going to have to grapple seriously with the issues this movement raises.
Alisa Solomon is an associate professor at Columbia University’s Journalism School and a contributing editor to WBAI’s weekly radio program “Beyond the Pale.”
Who knows what we’ll be celebrating in 2020?
