In addition to the heads of state, journalists, organizers and academics who flooded the HaaretzQ convergence on Sunday, December 13th were a number of activists from Open Hillel, the student run movement challenge Hillel International’s “standards for partnership” as they apply to Israel and Palestine — making dialogue with Palestinian groups essentially impossible, lest individual Hillels lose their funding and ability to be considered part of Hillel as a national organization.
On Sunday, Open Hillel folks did not miss an opportunity to let Hillel International know that at HaaretzQ, important things were happening. Conversations were happening that had been labeled unacceptable, questions were being asked that students within Hillels were not allowed to engage with. By continuing to shut out these vital conversations, Hillel is steadily rendering itself irrelevant. We compiled the tweets sent to Hillel International from Open Hillel activists, in addition to other moments in which the organization, and the organized American Jewish community, was taken to task.