Campus News

Jewish Students Canceled Event With Israeli Speaker. Professors Say They Succumbed To Pressure

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The Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA) backed out of an event at Yale Law School (YLS) that they planned with a former member of the Israeli government due to outside pressure, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

The event scheduled for April 21 features Israeli former Knesset member Michal Cotler-Wunsh, who was invited to discuss and define antisemitism, according to the event page. JLSA was originally set to host Colter-Wunsh for one of her stops during a speaking tour with the Academic Engagement Network but reportedly pulled out on April 14, one week ahead of the event, after concerns were raised that it would  be too controversial, according to the Free Beacon.

Two professors and Colter-Wunsh said that while JLSA did not announce a reason for abstaining from the event, the group had been facing pressure from others to cancel the talk, according to the Free Beacon. After JLSA stepped down, YLS deputy dean Yair Listokin took over and said that he would be hosting the event.

.@CotlerWunsh ends her remarks: “the contemporary attack on #Jewish #identity which we saw at the start of this event is an issue for all of us—for Jews, and for #Israel 🇮🇱, for all those who care about human rights and the law” pic.twitter.com/r1RSU2euOq

— Miriam F. Elman (@MiriamElman) April 20, 2023

Colter-Wunsh is a former member of the Blue and White Alliance, which dethroned current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a short period, according to Times of Israel. The alliance is known for taking more liberal stances on issues such as same-sex marriage and desires to further conversation’s with Palestinians.

Colter-Wunsh told the Free Beacon, “If I’m controversial, I don’t know who isn’t.”

Yale University recently came under fire for hosting a French professor and activist Houria Bouteldja earlier this month due to her anti-Israel and antisemitic comments, including support of the terrorist organization Hamas, according to The New York Post. The event was heavily criticized for being scheduled during the second night of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Another student group, Yallies4Palestine, has also been pushing a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions resolution that would compel the Ivy League university to end its contract with G4S, a British multinational security group, providing security technology for both the university and Israeli security in the West Bank. The group accuses the Jewish state of “injustice, genocide, and ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.

YLS, JLSA, AEN,  Listokin’s and Cotler-Wunsh did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.