A New York Christian seminary affiliated with Columbia College just lately introduced plans to divest from Israel and different corporations concerned within the ongoing struggle between Israel and Hamas militants.
Professional-Palestinian protests started at Columbia College on April 18 earlier than spreading to varsity campuses throughout the USA, with college students calling for colleges to divest from Israel.
On Might 9, Union Theological Seminary in New York introduced that its board of trustees had accepted a plan to divest from “corporations taking advantage of the Palestine/Israel struggle.”
“Over the many years, we now have developed what we name 'socially accountable funding (SRI) screens' to specific our values and never financially assist dangerous and immoral investments,” the seminary mentioned in an announcement. “With regard to the businesses taking advantage of the present struggle in Palestine, we proceed to carry these requirements excessive and have taken steps to determine all investments, each home and international, that assist and revenue from the present killing of harmless civilians in Palestine, who quantity now over 34,000 – and a humanitarian disaster of ever-increasing scale.”
The seminar mentioned it stays “unequivocal” in its condemnation of civilian deaths attributable to Hamas militants on October 7. He added: “Our funding coverage will proceed to adapt, guided by our values, to strengthen the dedication that underpins our choice immediately. “
Within the assertion to NewsweekSerene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, mentioned, “Union has a 187-year custom of selling peace and justice. The Board of Trustees was pushed to undertake this month-long course of to make sure that we proactively have an equitable funding coverage consistent with our deep spiritual , religious and core values, we’re continuously evolving to raised embody our core values. This was an act of conscience and an extension of the Union's insurance policies to make sure that our funding portfolio displays these core values.”
The spokesman of the seminary additionally mentioned this Newsweek that the gross sales course of initially started in November.
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Tensions on college campuses have remained excessive since October after Hamas militants launched an assault on southern Israel, killing greater than 1,200 individuals and taking greater than 200 hostages. Israel then launched strikes towards Hamas in Gaza that left greater than 34,000 lifeless, the AP reported, citing Gaza medics.
At Columbia College, college students staged a significant pro-Palestinian protest and established a “Gaza Solidarity Camp.” The Columbia Every day Spectator, the scholar newspaper, reported that Union Theological Seminary has a partnership with Columbia College. The seminary homes Columbia's school of theology, however the establishments have separate endowments, the newspaper mentioned.
In April, in response to pro-Palestinian protests, Columbia College President Minouche Shafik issued an announcement that the college wouldn’t divest from Israel, however that it might work with an advisory committee to think about investments.
Nonetheless, Jones criticized the NYPD's operation in Columbia in response to scholar protests and the takeover of an instructional constructing on campus.
“This can be a horrible, horrible day within the midst of devastating, merciless instances. It breaks us all. Please don't be afraid to achieve out,” Jones mentioned in an April 24 assertion. “Secondly, on behalf of the Union I need to reaffirm what I hope everybody within the Union is aware of, we now have by no means taken and can by no means take the actions that occurred immediately, together with a few of our college students, all your votes and values are an excessive amount of for me and for the Union necessary push them away and eliminate them.”
Replace, 5/13/24, 11:16 a.m. ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate an announcement from the president of Union Theological Seminary.
Replace, 5/14/24, 2:44 PM ET: This story has been up to date.
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