Pro-peace campaigners counter so-called Israel Apartheid Week with #BridgesNotBoycotts

The Board of Deputies and Union of Jewish Students (UJS) have launched a #BridgesNotBoycotts campaign promoting dialogue, coexistence and peace on campus in response to the smears of so-called Israel Apartheid Weeks.

It will see students up and down the country spread a positive and constructive message about Israel and the peace process.

This year, we are going on the front foot. We have produced two resource cards. The first highlights organisations that provide positive and effective strategies in place of divisive and destructive Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. The second, produced in conjunction with We Believe in Israel, educates about the key anniversaries being marked in 2017.

Board of Deputies Vice President Marie Van der Zyl said: “This campaign will empower students on campus. Instead of further entrenching division and conflict, we are proposing ways in which students can support peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, building rather than destroying bridges between them as BDS seeks to do.”

UJS Campaigns Officer Liron Velleman  said: “This year, Jewish students, together with many allies around the country, will be calling on their fellow students to build Bridges not Boycotts. This campaign will see stalls on campus providing resources on ‘Pathways to Peace’ to counter the toxic narrative of anti-Israel extremists.

To read the resources click here and here.