To the Editor:
We stand behind our decision to create a space for Sgt. Benjamin Anthony to share his experience as an Israeli soldier with students at Brown. Hillel could not be the big tent it strives to be without responding to students interested in hearing voices on the right as well as those on the left. By inviting student leaders from across the political spectrum (including those we knew would want to challenge Anthony), we sought to create an intimate and safe atmosphere for dialogue and debate over dinner that a large lecture format does not allow. We believe engagement with tough issues is an academic imperative as well as a Jewish one.
We are proud of our commitment to free speech at Brown and support the right of students to protest. Though we are disappointed that those groups have decided to protest rather than accept our invitation to participate, we honor their right to disagree publicly with Hillel’s choices and are working with the University to ensure they have a safe place to voice their concerns.
We invite this civil discourse and conversation to continue, whether in campus coffee shops, in the classroom, at Hillel’s weekly Shabbat dinners or at an upcoming Passover seder, where questions, dissension and looking ahead to a better future are all long-standing traditions.
Marshall Einhorn
Executive Director, Brown/RISD Hillel
Ross Lerner ’14
Event Organizer
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