J Street U

History

In 2009, J Street's staff sought to enlarge and improve the organization with the addition of a 501(c)(3) grassroots organizing component. As college campuses are traditionally hotspots of organizing and action, J Street investigated the possibility of incorporating a student arm. However, rather than create an organization from scratch, J Street opted to absorb the Union of Progressive Zionists (UPZ), an organization active on campuses like the University of Michigan, Washington University, and several others. They renamed the organization J Street U and hired a director, Daniel May, and deputy director, Ira Stup.

In 2014, J Street hired former deputy director Sarah Turbow to serve as director of J Street U.

Activities

J Street U chapters organize and sponsor a variety of activities, including:

In addition, the organization sponsors a Congressional Internship Program on Capitol Hill.

Campuses

As of March 2015, J Street U is present on almost 60 campuses across the United States. Campuses are organized into five geographic regions: North East, Mid-Atlantic, South/DC Metro, Midwest, West Southwest. Each region is run by students with the assistance of a full-time regional organizer. Regional organizers are currently based out of offices in Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco, facilitating chapter creation and maintenance.

Criticism and controversy

In October 2013, J Street U was denied membership to the Jewish Student Union at University of California, Berkeley, for the second time. Some students said they would feel uncomfortable if J Street U were admitted to the Jewish Student Union; the Jewish Student Union president said, "A lot of people have said that they want the (Jewish Student Union) to stay a place they feel comfortable saying they love Israel." Shayna Howitt, J Street U’s national communications co-chair, on the other hand, noted that J Street U is not anti-Israel simply because it is critical of its government's approaches disputed territories. “The best way to support Israel is not by refusing to talk about the politics that are often uncomfortable and scary — it’s by addressing those politics,”she said. In early 2014, 129 alumni signed a letter urging Berkeley Hillel to be more open to varied views on Israel, and suggesting that the Jewish Student Union become an “Open Hillel,” rejecting some of the constraints on free speech embodied in the rules upheld by Hillel International Headquarters (see Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life).

In 2014, Boston University Hillel at first rejected J Street as an affiliate, and then at the end of the year, reversed its decision. The B.U. Hillel chapter acknowledged that some students were uncomfortable overturning the initial decision, but issued an official statement in The Daily Free Press: “At the present time, it is critical for our students to set aside their differences and come together under the idea that we, in the end, are pro-Israel. We must be united for Israel, and Hillel must be the place to foster this kind of dialogue. We hope that all of us can find a way to see this change as a positive step for our community to grow for the future.” Open Hillel, a network of student groups that support Israel but object to HIllel guidelines, expressed approval of J Street's recognition by B.U. Hillel, though they cautioned against "policing" J Street activities.

In 2015, J Street U was involved in a controversy in which Hillel International CEO Eric Fingerhut initially agreed to speak at the national student group meeting, and subsequently withdrew. Fingerhut issued a statement saying he had withdrawn out of “concerns regarding my participation amongst other speakers who have made highly inflammatory statements against the Jewish state.” Several people involved in US Jewish student life noted that in an era when the number of Jewish students engaging with Jewish and Israel-related campus groups is shrinking, it might be unproductive to alienate the 3,000 participants in the J Street conference, a population that included 40 Hillel professionals, and that HIllel donor pressure was the likely cause of Fingerhut's withdrawal.On March 23, 250 J Street students marched to Hillel headquarters, leaving letters for Fingerhut demanding a meeting with him and sharing their view that he caved to the demands of "more conservative donors instead of engaging with the full range of student voices — including those on the more liberal end."Fingerhut then wrote to Benjy Cannon, the board president of J Street U, to arrange a meeting between the students and members of Hillel International’s board of directors. In his letter, Fingerhut said that there was "work to do in the Jewish community at large to be one people that respects, honors and celebrates its diversity rather than fearing it. This incident taught me just how deep the divide is. I don’t yet have all the answers to how we will bridge this divide, but as Hillel’s president, I am committed to working with you to find them and I have no doubt we will be successful.”