On Monday, March 28, Professor William Jacobson of Cornell University spoke to a room packed with law students at the University of Chicago, on the topic of “When Does Anti-Israelism Turn Into Anti-Semitism?” The lecture was sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students and the Louis D. Brandeis Center law student chapter at the University of Chicago.

Prof. William Jacobson speaks at UChicago (source: legalinsurrection.com)

A video recording of the talk can be viewed here, and coverage of the talk on Prof. Jacobson’s blog, Legal Insurrection, can be found here.

Prof. Jacobson’s lecture was timely; this week, a proposal for an Israel divestment resolution was brought before the UChicago College Council, that calls for the University to cut financial ties with ten companies that do business with Israel.  Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions such as this one often lead to anti-Israel dialogue on college campuses that turns anti-Semitic. For example, BDS campaigns seek to demonize the Jewish state, delegitimize its right to exist and defend its citizens, and hold Israel to a double standard – there are no BDS campaigns against any other countries in the world. BDS resolutions also create a divisive atmosphere for Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus. LDB law students at UChicago are working with undergraduates to combat this resolution.