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By Debra Rubin
(FEBRUARY 1, 2024 / JEWISH LINK) A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between William Paterson University of Wayne, New Jersey and Birzeit University in the West Bank has drawn fire and threats of legal action because of the West Bank educational institution’s support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel and its student governing body’s support of Hamas.
“We perceive this to be a violation of state and federal law and we don’t accept it,” said Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey CEO Jason M. Shames, adding that the federation has been in talks with the local university since just before the summer but got sidetracked by the Israel-Hamas War. “Now we are able to refocus. We think enough time has passed and we are starting to pursue other options.”
The memorandum also drew a January 25 letter from Morton A. Klein and Susan B. Tuchman, the national president and director of the legal center, respectively, of the Zionist Organization of America, demanding that William Paterson University “immediately cut all ties to Birzeit University and make it clear to the university community why it is doing so.”
The letter was addressed to university President Richard J. Helldobler and its board of trustees, with copies sent to Governor Phil Murphy, state Senate President Nicholas Scutari, state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Representatives Bill Pascrell and Josh Gottheimer. William Paterson is part of the state college and university system.
“Please be back to us no later than Thursday, February 1, 2024,” reads the ZOA letter. “And please know that we intend to take all necessary steps to ensure that William Paterson’s state and federal funding is terminated unless the University takes the right and moral step and terminates its relationship with Birzeit University and issues a clear and forceful public statement about why it must do so.”
A 2016 state law prohibits investment of state pension and annuity funds into companies and businesses that engage in boycotts of Israel. The State Department has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1995, making it a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to conduct any financial or business transaction with Hamas, according to the FBI’s website.
Tuchman said although she could not speak as to whether any laws have been violated, “it’s impossible to justify, especially in this time of soaring antisemitism, even one penny of taxpayer money going to support a New Jersey university that’s partnering with an institution that is antisemitic and celebrates terrorism and violence against Jews and Israel.”
William Paterson spokesperson Mary Beth Zeman said the collaboration between the two colleges was signed in September 2022 “with the potential for faculty and student exchanges.” However, she said no exchanges have occurred and there are no plans to move forward at this time.
Shames noted that Birzeit’s student government members must align themselves with a political party. “The idea that they (William Paterson) would partner with a university, an educational institution, where two-thirds of the student government would identify with Hamas is an insult,” he said.
“They’re using New Jersey taxpayer money to fund this partnership. If they don’t respond to us in the appropriate amount of time we will seek legal opinion. If they don’t take action on this, others are going to.”
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