Open Letter Concerning the Olive Tree Initiative at UC Irvine

Shalom Elcott–Orange County Jewish Federation and Family Services

Jay Feldman–Rose Project

Jordan Fruchtman–Hillel Foundation of Orange County

Gentlemen,

As you are well aware, the continuing controversy surrounding the support of the Olive Tree Initiative (OTI) by the Jewish Federation, The Rose Project and Hillel has created a bitter rift within the broader Jewish community. While the original intentions of this program might have been good, the preponderance of evidence collected by a number of groups, including the OC Task Force, indicates that continued support of OTI is ill advised. For instance, on the 2010 trip, OTI’s leadership demonstrated insensitivity to Jewish students by scheduling events on the Jewish Sabbath and Rosh Hashanah and relentlessly exposing Jewish students to individuals dedicated to the Boycott Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement and to the destruction of the State of Israel. Even after the trip, the OTI provided sponsorship for talks by George S. Rishmawi on the U C Irvine campus. This person was a co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement and is a current staff member of the  Palestine Center for Rapprochment (PCR).  Both organizations are known for their very strong anti-Israel positions.

Contrary to pronouncements made by the leadership of the OTI since its inception in March 2007, the situation on the UC Irvine campus has not improved for Jewish students.  This is evidenced by several poignant examples:

• The repeated disruption of Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, at UCI on February 8, 2010, as well as the continuing presence of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel speakers on campus.
• In March 2010, Jewish student leaders appeared before the UCI student council describing the situation on campus and asked “when will the student government stand up for me?”
• In May 2010 over 60 UC Irvine Faculty members released a statement suggesting that  “Some community members, students, and faculty indeed feel intimidated, and at times even unsafe.”
• In October 2010,  two groups, the newly formed Students for Justice in Palestine and Alkalima: Muslim Students at UCI,  co-sponsored British anti-Israel speaker Ben White who is quoted as saying “I do not consider myself an anti-Semite, yet I can also understand why some are.”

We urge the Jewish Federation, The Rose Project and and Hillel to adopt the The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties Funding Guidelines and to cease any and all connection to the Olive Tree Initiative.

Sincerely,

Jan Mark Dudman

President

Robert L. Winer

Executive Vice President

Ted Bleiweis

Executive Director