Here is guest post by Jeff Rubin, Associate Vice President for Communications at Hillel in Washington, DC:

Dear Friends,

At 7:30 this morning, after an eight-hour debate, the senate of the Associated Students of the University of California, Berkeley (ASUC) dealt a blow to anti-Israel forces on the campus by upholding the veto of an anti-Israel divestment measure.

The student activists and professionals of Berkeley Hillel, led by Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman, did an extraordinary job in fighting this anti-Israel resolution, not only strategizing approaches and educating the campus about Israel, but staying up all night on two occasions to make sure that pro-Israel voices were heard during the senate debate. With two more weeks left to the ASUC term, divestment supporters will likely seek to overturn the veto again. Rabbi Kelman and his colleagues cannot rest but must remain vigilant and active – and this is on top of the normal work of building Jewish identities on campus. They deserve our respect, admiration and support.

In a statement to the press, Hillel President Wayne L. Firestone praised the work of Berkeley Hillel and said: “This vote demonstrates that the more campuses learn about Israel, the better they understand the country’s commitment to peace, democracy and human rights. We are confident that Berkeley Hillel will continue to demonstrate extraordinary leadership in the coming weeks.”

Rabbi Naftalin-Kelman added: “President Smelko and the senators demonstrated sensitivity, wisdom, strength and courage. We will continue to lead the effort against this proposal and to educate the campus about Israel as it really exists and not as it is portrayed by its detractors. We look forward to continuing to work with ASUC and all student groups to bring this campus together around Berkeley’s values of mutual respect, free inquiry and the pursuit of harmony on campus and around the world. Berkeley has been, and will always be, a leader in promoting peace around the world.”

The Berkeley divestment fight is not just a local issue. Anti-Israel forces have made this a test case for divestment campaigns around the world. Not only did they request statements from high-level personalities like Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and linguist Noam Chomsky, they flew individuals to Berkeley to present in person to the student senate.

Berkeley Hillel has enjoyed the support of many active partners in the local Jewish community and strategic advice from the Israel on Campus Coalition and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Center. Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel wrote a letter opposing divestment: “I have witnessed apartheid and fought it wherever I spoke throughout the world. I ask you to believe me: Any such comparison is malicious and untrue.” Other Nobel laureates who protested the divestment measure were Roald Hoffman, Walter Kohn, Claude Choen-Tannoudji, and Steven Weinberg.

Groups who wrote in opposition to the divestment measure included the Board of Rabbis of Northern California and the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council. The South African Board of Rabbis wrote a letter rejecting divestment as a tactic, saying: “We agree with leaders and liberators of our great country, President Nelson Mandela, President Thabo Mbeki, current President Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress who reject that divestment will contribute to peace in the region.”

On the day before the debate, Berkeley Hillel organized a seminar titled “Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State: Challenges and Perspectives,” to educate the campus about Israel and to fulfill the university’s mandate as a venue for high-level discussion. Renowned Israeli jurist Ruth Gavison delivered the keynote address. The seminar was coordinated by Jewish Agency for Israel Fellow Chaya Gilboa, Prof. Hanan Alexander, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Visiting Israeli Professor at UC Berkeley. It was cosponsored by Center for the Study of Law and Society of Berkeley Law School, Haifa University’s Center for Jewish Education, the Berkeley Jewish Student Union, Berkeley Hillel and ASUC.

In these days between Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, we are reminded about the continued importance of watchfulness and advocacy. We are fortunate to have colleagues like Rabbi Naftalin-Kelman working on behalf of Jewish students at Berkeley and representing the Hillel movement.