Brown University board trustee announces resignation ahead of vote on divestment from Israel: 'Cowardice'
Joseph Edelman announced that he would resign as a trustee at Brown University in an op-ed published Sunday in The Wall Street Journal, citing his opposition to a divestment vote on Israel, especially following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel.
"As a member of the Brown University board of trustees, I disagree with the upcoming divestment vote on Israel," Edelman wrote. "I am concerned about what Brown’s willingness to hold such a vote suggests about the university’s attitude toward rising antisemitism on campus and a growing political movement that seeks the destruction of the state of Israel."
Brown and other elite universities have been disrupted by student protests on campus in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Student protesters have called on Brown and other schools to disclose and divest their investments in companies and organizations linked to Israel, as well as demanding a ceasefire in the ongoing war.
"I find it morally reprehensible that holding a divestment vote was even considered, much less that it will be held—especially in the wake of the deadliest assault on the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Edelman wrote.
Edelman criticized Brown's board, arguing that the school made its decision based on its fear of student activists on campus.
"I don’t wish to imply that any real principles informed Brown’s decision to hold a divestment vote: It was made not based on facts or values but based on weakness toward student activists," Edelman wrote. "The university leadership has for some reason chosen to reward, rather than punish, the activists for disrupting campus life, breaking school rules, and promoting violence and antisemitism at Brown."
38% OF BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IDENTIFY AS LGBTQ+
"Brown’s leadership admits the looming divestment vote is designed to buy good behavior from pro-Hamas activists, many of whom are adherents of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which seeks the destruction of the Jewish state through political and economic warfare," he wrote.
"How can Brown lend credence to these antisemitic voices, who notably began protesting in support of violence against Jews before Israel had even responded to the Oct. 7 attack?" Edelman wrote. "It’s as if the Brown board has agreed to vote on whether Israel has a right to defend itself, whether Israel has a right to exist, and even whether Jews have a right to exist."
Brown University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.