“There isn’t a BDS movement on our campus.” This was what I said to the director Shimon Dotan, at the beginning of August, when I discussed with him the possibility of screening his documentary, “The Settlers” at the university. I had watched it earlier in the summer and as the President of LIME: An Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue Group, I thought it would be perfect to screen for an event. It was around this time that he had been invited and disinvited to “The Place of Religion in Film” conference, due to pressure from the Boycotts Divestments and Sanctions movement at the university.

Today, however, I stand corrected.  It is true that there is no organized BDS movement at a student-level, but there is a BDS movement at Syracuse University. It may not be present in the discourse of the students but it is in a minority of the professors. What disturbs me so greatly about the dis-invitation of Mr. Dotan is that professors, the very people who we entrust to educate us, sought to limit our education because of their own political ideologies and agendas.

When I joined LIME three years ago, I did so because I wanted to be a part of a dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict that was not marred by a political affiliation but was rather rooted in non-partisan education. Our programming has always reflected these ideals, and I believe screening “The Settlers” will only add to the diversity of our events. In reality the dis-invitation of Mr. Dotan is not actually about BDS. Rejecting the screening of a documentary that is so highly critical of a movement that BDS seeks to end, is not only ironic but detrimental to the education of students and to the supposed agenda of the movement.  The students who will attend the university’s film conference were denied the privilege of watching this relevant and insightful documentary because of a misguided and misinformed political agenda. The establishment that they came to for a liberal, diverse and non-discriminatory education has failed them. It is for this reason that I am proud that Mr. Dotan accepted LIME’s invitation to visit the university and screen his documentary. The students of Syracuse University deserve the opportunity to be exposed to other perspectives and ideas and I hope that the professors who did not want Mr. Dotan to come will remember that in the future.

Ronit Davis

President, LIME: An Israeli Palestinian Dialogue Group

Syracuse University, Class  of 2018

Public Relations, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications