University of Minnesota appeased its occupiers by considering Israel divestment
On May 10, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Board of Regents weighed the merits of withdrawing the school’s investments in businesses connected to Israel during its regular monthly convening.
'We have heard your message loud and clear,' board chair Janie Mayeron reportedly said after hearing an anti-Israel coalition speak.
A large university in Minneapolis recently caved to student protesters’ demands to consider cutting ties to Israel.
On May 10, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Board of Regents weighed the merits of withdrawing the school’s investments in businesses connected to Israel during its regular monthly convening.
“My family members have been killed — not by accident — but by your support for companies complicit in genocide,” Donia Abu, a UMN student, reportedly said. “I know that the new students who will apply to this institution will not attend or contribute to this university if their concerns are not met.”
Other students, even those of Jewish descent, expressed similar views.
“An educational institution should not be funding crimes against humanity,” said Lucia Santos Stern, a member of UMN’s Divest Coalition, which is a self-described “Collective of undergrad and grad students and organizations fighting against state violence, colonialism, and imperialism and their connection to UMN.” Stern identified herself as an “Afro-Caribbean Jewish student.”
“We have heard your message loud and clear,” board chair Janie Mayeron said after hearing the coalition speak, according to Israel National News.
UMN’s decision to consider cutting ties to Israel comes in response to student protests calling for divestment from Israel in light of the Jewish state’s ongoing conflict with Hamas. However, UMN is no newcomer to the divestment debate as disputes about the school’s connections to Israel stretch back several years, as reported by Israel National News.
Other parties have voiced concerns that UMN’s decision to open the floor for discussion following students’ demands to do so could set a precedent that normalizes violence and rule-breaking.
“The University’s capitulation sends a message that students who violate UofM policy, openly celebrate violence, and shut down campus are rewarded with time before the Regents and ‘regular meetings moving forward’ with the President’s office,” the Jewish Community Relations Council wrote in a statement on May 2. “By contrast, students targeted by antisemitism are apparently supposed to suffer silently, while their University appeases those very same activists who demonize Jews and Israelis.”
UMN’s endowment reportedly includes investments in over 40 companies, amounting to $2.27 billion in total. Investments in Israeli-affiliated companies constitute less than 1% of this figure.
Campus Reform has reached out to UMN and Janie Mayeron for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.