On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Executive Director of Princeton’s Center for Jewish Life, Rabbi Gil Steinlauf ‘91, released a statement to all Residential College listservs via HoagieMail condemning Princeton Committee on Palestine’s (PCP) recent statement that called on the University to boycott Israel TigerTrek.
Israel TigerTrek is a student-led trip that brings Princeton students to Israel to meet with innovators in the nation’s high-tech startup industry. It is set to take place over winter break this year.
In PCP’s statement, the group accused Israel of “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “human rights” violations, among other claims.
This is not the first time PCP has been embroiled in antisemitic controversy.
In March 2022, the group protested an Israel internship fair held at the CJL. Protestors’ signs included slogans like “From the River to the Sea,” an antisemitic phrase that calls for the erasure of the Jewish State.
PCP also previously co-sponsored events spotlighting known antisemites like Norman Finkelstein and Lamis Deek.
“The message crossed a line by engaging in age-old, classic antisemitic references to child killing, using well-known “dog whistles” like Jewish “elitism,” and rhetoric about colonialism which undermines Israel’s right to exist,” Steinlauf wrote of PCP’s statement.
Calling PCP’s statement “unacceptable,” Steinlauf emphasized that “attacks on educational initiatives like Israel Tiger Trek have no place at universities such as Princeton, which is dedicated to the free and open exchange of ideas, and which challenges students to engage with those who have different views.”
His full statement can be found here.
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