The same university which denied tenure to Norman Finkelstein just a few years ago, one of the most virulent anti-Israel speakers in North America, has succumb to pressure from a small group of students. Two weeks ago, members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organization on campus raised their objection to the fact that Depaul had been purchasing food products from the Strauss Group, the makers of the popular Sabra hummus. The Strauss Group historically has been an avid supporter of Israel, as well as a financial contributor to the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces. Citing a need to "stand against injustice", SJP members met with the administration and Sabra is no longer allowed to be sold till the end of the quarter. In the meantime, the policy and relationship with Strauss will be reviewed, and a permanent ban of these products might be enacted.

One of the most troubling issues here is that the university has basically stated that supporting Israel is not welcome on campus. If the logic is followed that those that contribute to Israel are not allowed on campus, what happens to Hillel? To the Jewish Studies program? The pro-Israel students? What is the difference between Strauss contributing to Friends of the Golani Brigade and a member of the Israel group wearing an IDF shirt on campus? As you can see, there is none, and if one has been disallowed, then the second might be banned soon as well. We cannot sit here and tolerate the punishment of a company or organization for partaking in perfectly legal actions.

The leaders of the worldwide BDS movement have created this project not only to delegitimize Israel, but to destroy Israel as a whole. The goals of these leaders, as they have stated many times, is not to create an independent and prosperous Palestinian state that lives next to a safe and sovereign Israel. The two-state solution has been rejected by these people countless times, and their attempt to divest from Israel is not an attempt to influence Israeli policy but rather an attempt to eliminate Israel.

This strategy of boycotting Sabra and Strauss has already spread to Princeton University in New Jersey, and will undoubtedly spread to other universities and schools throughout the country. Facebook groups have been created calling on people to buy Sabra products, but the biggest problem is not the loss of revenue that Strauss will incur. The issue here is, as mentioned before, the actions by Depaul and other institutions which threaten us solely because we support Israel. As activists, we must fight to stop this injustice before it is too late. Less than a month remains until DePaul decides on whether they will permanently ban Sabra hummus or reconsider the dangerous precedent they set two weeks ago. Students, staff, and professionals alike must unite at DePaul and show the administration how dangerous and unjust this policy is. With the help of a strong coalition of various student organizations, leaders, etc., this unjust action must be overturned.

Sadly, this is not the only place where anti-Semitism has been prevalent. At Indiana University, rocks were thrown through the windows both the Chabad house and the Hillel, and Jewish texts from the library were torn apart and urinated on at various locations on campus. While these seem to be isolated incidents that have led many non-Jews to speak out against these actions, anti-Semitism at the Israel and Jew-friendly IU reminds us that we can be faced with this problem any time, any place. With two to three weeks left in the semester, I urge you: keep fighting for what you believe in, do not sit by while injustices take place around you, and lets put an end to these movements before they really get moving.