Download PDF WASHINGTON, DC, – This morning, the Brandeis Center blasted Harvard University’s decision to suspend purchases of Sodastream do-it-yourself soda and water machines. The Harvard Crimson has revealed that the Harvard University dining Service (HUDS) succumbed to pressure by anti-Israel activists, discontinuing purchases of Sodastream products in response to Sodastream’s operations in territory that is disputed between Israel and Palestinians. “Make no mistake about it,” LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus explained, “this attack on Sodastream is every bit as deplorable as any other anti-Israel boycott, divestment or sanction (BDS). It is an attack on Israel that bolsters efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state. We must remember that Harvard has a problematic history when it comes to Jews and Israel. We hope that President Drew Faust, who has spoken out against anti-Israel academic boycotts in the past, will quickly take action to reverse this anti-Israel boycott as well.” The Brandeis Center rebuffed efforts to differentiate Harvard’s action from the broader BDS movement. “In many ways,” Marcus commented, “these micro-BDS efforts are more dangerous than broader campaigns against the entire country of Israel, because they are sneakier and more deceptive. They target one or two companies, or a short list of Israeli politicians or universities. And they claim that they are not advocating boycotts against the entire Jewish nation. But they are based on the notion that it is okay to apply different standards to Israelis than to the rest of the world’s peoples. And they ultimately end up in the same place. All anti-Israel boycotts, whether limited or comprehensive, advance the same agenda, which is to deny Israel normalcy and legitimacy. This is a deeply anti-Semitic campaign and it must be understood as such.”