US/World News

U of Wisconsin student head apologizes for vote on anti-Israel resolution

(JTA) – The head of the student government at the University of Wisconsin-Madison apologized for holding a meeting on Passover that featured a vote on an anti-Israel resolution. In April, the Associated Students of Madison passed the resolution calling for divestment from companies operating in many countries that included an amendment specifically targeting Israel. Several Jewish student government representatives were absent from the meeting. The student Summary Judgment committee had ordered the association’s chair, Katrina Morrison, to apologize at the first student government meeting after a former student government representative, Ariela Rivlin, filed a complaint over the Passover vote.

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Morrison said, “I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I’ve caused to the Jewish community,” she said. “Until the end of my term, I will work every day to regain the trust of Jewish students of this university.” Also Tuesday, the student government passed a resolution against antisemitism and other forms of hatred in a unanimous vote.

The anti-Israel resolution passed on April 12, the second day of Passover, called on the university and its foundation to divest from companies involved in private prisons, arms manufacture, fossil fuels and border walls, and banks that “oppress marginalized communities.” It also blamed Israel for training U.S. police in tactics it said harm African-Americans. Despite knowing that several Jewish representatives were unable to attend the meeting due to the Jewish holidays, Morrison suspended the student government rules to discuss and push through a vote. In a statement issued after the vote, the university administration said the resolution was nonbinding and would not result in a change in university policies or its approach to investing.

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