By Hank Russell
New York State Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) joined fellow Assemblyman Dave Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) in a written letter to State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John King, calling on King to condemn a resolution that was ratified by the SUNY Binghamton Student Association (SA) which stops the organization from doing business with any companies that financially support the Israeli government. The resolution also calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and claims that Israel’s current military campaign is a genocide.
On April 16, the Student Association Congress voted 14-11 (two abstentions) in favor of the resolution, which supports Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS). Tyler Brechner, one of the legislation’s co-authors, called opposition to “Israeli apartheid and genocide” a “necessary and just stance,” according to the student newspaper Pipe Dream. “Conflating the Jewish community with support of Israel, however, assumes a bigoted, antisemitic trope that all Jews must be loyal to Israel.”
Omar Acosta-Nuñez, the other co-author of the bill, told Pipe Dream, “War profiteers have no place in our academic institutions.”
In a letter obtained by Long Island Life & Politics dated April 18, Lavine — president of the National Association of Jewish Legislators New York Chapter — and Weprin, the NAJL’s co-president, reminded King that the resolution is against the law. In 2016, an executive order went into effect in which New York State would divest all public funds from any and all BDS activity.
“For that reason, Binghamton University’s Student Association is not under any circumstances allowed to engage in BDS activity,” they wrote. “The resolution is inherently suspect in that it is hard to imagine that the Association does any ‘business’ with companies that financially support Israel. The cynical action leads us to wonder why the Association would engage in such rash and ill-advised action without doing the most basic research into its legal authority to so act. Perhaps the emotion of the moment got the better of those who advanced and voted to support the resolution. This at a time when cooler heads need to prevail.”
LILP reached out to the university. In an email, SUNY-Binghamton spokesperson Ryan Yarosh replied, “Binghamton University stands with Governor [Kathy] Hochul and SUNY in condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. The Student Association of Binghamton (SA) is an independent, student-led organization separate from the University.”
Yarosh added that the SA is still undergoing a final review of the resolution, and the administration has yet to review it. “The Student Association[‘s] views do not represent the University administration’s views,” Yarosh said. “During this time, maintaining a safe and secure environment for everyone on campus remains the University’s top priority. A dedication to safety will remain unwavering as it strives to uphold the freedom for students and faculty to pursue their educational and professional endeavors without fear or obstacles.”
LILP also reached out to King’s office and the Student Association, but did not hear back as of press time.
Lavine and Weprin told King they want to give the SA the benefit and are asking the Association that the resolution be withdrawn. “Should that not occur, we demand that the University rescind the Association’s charter as it has made a conscious decision to violate the laws of the State of New York prohibiting state agencies, which include our public university system, from discriminating against Israel.”