are these useful jewish idiots who stand up against israel and indirectly support the islamists. i have never seen muslims getting up against their alikes ( with very exceptions like salman rushdie). the best that can be expected is that they remain silent, but they never actively criticize radical islamism.

a few more generations and there will be no obnoxious pseudo-intellectual liberal fad jews in the US due to intermarriage

Isn't Birthright supposed to deepen and enhance feelings for Israel? Doesn't it counteract these problems?

It is not good enough for Hillel to declare that they won't do activities with pro-boycott organizations. They have to expel all pro-boycott students from Hillel. This is not an academic exercise. These are serious issues that influence Israel's very existence. Sadly, through the ages, there have been so-called Jews who have turned bad. Recently, the Jewish communists who spied for the USSR and gave atomic bomb secrets and the far-left Jews who joined domestic terrorism groups during the Viet Nam era. Now the traitors join in lying about Israel and working for its destruction. Kushner, the Rose duo, Pappe, JStreet are the newest editions of an an old book. I for one will tear up any solicitations for donations from Hillel until the organization takes a strong stand against these treasonous fools.

thats why there are chabad house.....when hillel goes wrong

But I think its certainly possible for some Hillel groups to be infiltrated by leftist anti-israel jews, as described by this article. I hope that this recognition help to prevent what would be a sad and dangerous outcome

Seems like similar things are happening in every Ivy League University. Just read the New York Post article at http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/yale_latest_gift_to_anti_semitism_MVRL7G363U30EcMrxe15UM The Study on Anti-Semitism has been banned from Yale without any reason given. 3 out of 4 individuals responsible for closing the program down happen to be Jewish. I see it all as a part of re-election campaign by BHO. This is a blatant attempt to create more Obamabots on university campuses across US. Just like in former Soviet Union any social advancement has been dependent on a Letter of Good Conduct (Kharacteristica) so is current advancement in academia in US dependent on keeping in line with current governmental policies.

Laura J claims that this article is misleading. It is not. The UC Berkeley Hillel has hosted and aided Kesher Enoshi. The Berkeley Hillel director and certain other local Jewish officials have tried to cover up the situation, but the truth is that UCB Hillel knowingly serves as a recruiting ground for anti-Israel activism. There are *some* good Hillels (in the SF bay area I can only thing of one truly good one) but many (most?) range from ineffectual to down right bad. Undiscriminating donors to Hillel are funding the destruction of Jewish support for Israel in the US.

The Moslem Student Union was Closed down at UCI after years of confrontation with Jewish students. A lot of Jewish students opt for a friendlier climate at crosstown Chapman University. I did read Paul Johnson's book Modern Times that German Acadamia were among the first to support Hitler. At the same time Jews of the left are intellectually disarming...Everybody else except the Jews gets support for self determination, just not the Jews. Interesting book.

Not only are these unjustified acts against the law, but if they are brought up in court, a school can be prosecuted and lose any federal funding. Why hasn't this been pursued? It is against the law to harass any student based on their religion, nationality etc . I get this from an AJC Lawyer who spoke at my synagogue. Further, if you object to these disgusting lies on your campus and your administration doesn't do anything about it, start a campaign to eliminate all donations to these colleges who are participating in these acts of bigotry, by their non-actions or complete complicit behaviour to this racist activity. Hit them in their pocketbooks. You can spend your donations on ads that advertise this type of protest.

If your Hillel is not doing something about racism on campus, they are not fulfilling their duties on campus. Don't donate to them. maybe they'll get the message.

To the Editor: Yoaz Hendel’s article, “The Hillel Paradox,” raises baseless accusations about Hillel’s support for Israel. The correct and truthful story of Hillel’s work on campus is one of unparalleled success in the face of tremendous challenges. Berkeley Hillel deserves particular credit for bringing together students with diverse viewpoints into an active, pro-Israel community that defeated an anti-Israel resolution in 2010 and sponsored numerous pro-Israel events on campus. Hillel is the backbone of the pro-Israel community on campus in North America. Hillel pursues Israel engagement, education and advocacy works in partnership with AIPAC, MASA, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Stand with Us, the David Project, the Israel on Campus Coalition and many other groups. Our 50 Jewish Agency for Israel Fellows serve as important ambassadors to the campus community. Hillel provides opportunities for students of all backgrounds – left, right and center, those who are ardent Israel activists and those who are uninvolved -- to explore and build an enduring relationship with Israel. Through thousands of Israel activities on campuses each year, Hillel helps students to articulate why Israel plays an important role in their personal Jewish identities and how Israel continues to influence Jewish conversations, global Jewish peoplehood, and the world. Hillel has created guidelines that inform our campus partnerships and that explicitly preclude working with groups that support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel; groups that deny the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders; or that delegitimize, demonize, or apply a double standard to Israel. We have taken the lead in opposing all anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions efforts on college campuses. We have been so successful that no such resolutions have been implemented on our campuses. In the coming year we will need the support of all pro-Israel members of the community as we oppose anti-Israel events, respond to the expected unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, and continue to engage, educate and advocate for Israel. Our students are taking the lead for Israel on campus today, and will be the pro-Israel leaders of tomorrow. Dr. Andrew Sklover Chair, Israel Engagement, Education and Advocacy Committee Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life

The facts in Yoaz Hendel's article are accurate and supported by a great deal of evidence. Andy Sklover's response is an example of the spinmeister strategy that has been used by the Hillel leadership all along. It is unfortunate that national Hillel has been trying to whitewash, obfuscate the truth, and mislead the community rather then acknowledge and rectify the serious situation in Berkeley, and other major Hillels. National Hillel's three year cover-up has allowed the situation to deteriorate and metastasize to other campuses. Consequently more and more Jewish students have been lost, and the case for Israel undermined. The Berkeley Hillel debacle and Sklover's whitewash are a case in point. Berkeley Hillel embraces a group, Kesher Enoshi, that collaborated with the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) organizations in a carefully orchestrated Israel demonization and delegitimization campaign, and has co-opted Jewish students, turning them into anti-Israel activists. Together with the BDS/delegitimization groups, Kesher Enoshi organized and promoted the Israel bashing events which laid the ground for the divestment bill at UC Berkeley in the Spring of 2010. Hillel's Kesher Enoshi, together with the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP -- both on the ADL list of the top 10 anti-Israel groups in America), the Muslim Students Association - MSA (an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood) and other anti-Israel groups, organized defamatory events which portray Israel as a country "committing war crimes" and "crimes against humanity." Hillel's Kesher Enoshi also co-sponsored events where Israelis were compared to Nazis. Cosequently, many Jewish students have been alienated from Israel and many turned into anti-Israel activists. Hillel's involvement lends legitimacy and credibility to the Israel-bashing events, to their anti-Israel sponsors, and to their destructive message. The fact that Hillel engages in and invites Jewish students (including those who have participated in Taglit-Birthright trips) to Israel defaming events is troubling. Even Hillel's publicity of these events is itself highly damaging. For example, in its publicity of Hillel's Kesher Enoshi's Breaking the Silence event, Hillel's own advertisements about the event defamed the Israeli military, accusing it of "human rights abuses." This false message (which was read by all the Jewish students who read Hillel's publications) is distressing. The virulent anti-Israel organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, promoted Hillel's Israel demonizing event using identical language. Hillel's Israel bashing events have a devastating affect, as increasing numbers of Jewish students become alienated from Israel and and many of them turned into anti-Israel activists. All the defamatory events organized by Kesher Enoshi together with the anti-Israel delegitimization groups also served as a driving force for the anti-Israel divestment bill at UC Berkeley in the spring of 2010. Formerly pro-Israel Jewish students have been instrumental in the anti-Israel BDS campaign at UC Berkeley. At the student government (ASUC) meeting debating the divestment bill, Hillel's Kesher Enoshi students were conspicuously active in advocating the adoption of the anti-Israel divestment resolution in front of the student Senate. Influenced by hearing Hillel's student leaders speaking in support of the divestment bill, several independent senators were convinced to vote for the anti-Israel measure.

The article exposes most probably the tip of the iceberg on how our young and impressionable Jewish students are spieless and ignorant. Anyone who tries to whitewash this severe and perilous situation only strengthens our enemy to our detriment.

The divestment bill, which the Berkeley student government (ASUC) passed by a majority of 16 to 4, was subsequently vetoed by the ASUC President. Although the veto was sustained (but by only one vote), the divestiture coalition succeeded in defining the terms of the debate while simultaneously advancing their narrative. The Berkeley divestment bill jump-started a national (see here) movement to delegitimize Israel and turn her into a pariah state on campuses across the country. Months before the divestment bill, the Hillel head and other leaders were warned repeatedly that the anti-Israel groups were planning a divestment bill against Israel, and that Hillel's Kesher Enoshi was collaborating on it. After the divestment bill, those who dismissed warnings about the coming divestment bill, and covered up the perilous situation at Berkeley Hillel launched a spin campaign praising and glorifying each other for fighting against the very problem they helped create. They make it appear that the Berkeley Hillel head, who is very much responsible for the situation, should be praised for helping to clean it up. Those responsible for letting the fire spread have been praised for putting out the fire. While our adversaries are effectively focusing on and adversely affecting the vital future generation on the campuses and especially the Jewish students there, those responsible for the Hillel scandal are using the funds donated by well meaning people to cover it up. National Hillel President Wayne Firestone and Dr. Sklover as well as the Berkeley Hillel leadership and other "leaders" were warned about the dire situation taking place at Berkeley Hillel numerous times. Rather than acknowledging and rectifying the situation, they have been working hard on concealing the facts from the Jewish community, even from their own board and donors. Consequently, they have caused immeasurable damage to pro-Israel advocacy on campus and beyond, to the Jewish community and to many Jewish students (and their families) who have become alienated from Israel. By covering up the pernicious situation at Berkeley Hillel, they are responsible for the grave consequences. They are responsible for every Hillel student who was co-opted by Hillel's Kesher Enoshi and turned into an anti-Israel activist.

Kesher Enoshi, regularly meeting at Berkeley Hillel, was in the forefront of the attempt to have the UC Berkeley student government vote for BDS vs Israel. I live in Berkeley and had done some of my grad work at the UC. So I was astonished to see Kesher Enoshi using the local Hillel as its base, both for meetings and the recruitment of young, naive Jews to the BDS cause. All during this time, Hillel Director Rabbi Adam Kalman was asleep at the wheel, doing nothing to alter this horrific situation. Since Kalman claims to be a supporter of Israel, it could be reasonably said that if Israel had many friends like Rabbi Kalman, its existence would be even more imperiled. Correspondingly, it is imperative that Rabbi Kalman be removed from his leadership position at Berkeley Hillel with a true Zionist taking his place to make sure that Hillel no longer serves as a meeting and recruiting ground for those who oppose the very existence of Israel...

Andrew Sklover (comment 44) must live on a different planet from the rest of us who have watched Berkeley Hillel partner with some of the most vicious anti-Israel groups on campus and over many years have showcased anti-Israel events. Until National Hillel stops acting like Richard Nixon during the Watergate Crisis and confronts the reality of what Hillel is, these outrages will persist. Mr. Sklover thinks he can talk in broad strokes about Hillel's pro-Israel commitment while denying the reality of what occurs. His circumlocutions are as deceitful as they are dysfunctional. It only serves to further separate the activist community from the community of "paid Jews." Every group has its quislings. Ours are institutionalized and function without a shred of shame. Like Nixon's cover up, theirs will return to haunt them, and one can hope and pray, with similar consequences.

The irony to all this is found in history as well as present day practice... When hitler decided to exterminate the Jews, it was ALL the Jews, observant, non-observant, and denyers alike. When the muslims go on their murderous rampages as they have done from time immemorial, they do not discriminate between religious, non-observant, denyers or muslim supporters. The stated objective and religious mandate calls for destruction of all Jews. It will come as such a surprise to all of these left wingnuts when it is their door being kicked in by these muslim thugs. Am Yisroel Chai.

Hillel did much good over its time. In many colleges today it has been taken over by the loony left fringe. Better support Chabad for strong Jewish and pro-Israel values.