Brown University board trustee resigns before vote on Israel divestment: 'Courage'

Joseph Edelman announced his resignation as a trustee at Brown University in an op-ed published Sunday in The Wall Street Journal, stating his opposition to a divestment vote on Israel, particularly after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against the country.

"Edelman, a member of the Brown University board of trustees, expressed his disagreement with the upcoming divestment vote on Israel. He expressed concern about the university's attitude towards rising antisemitism on campus and a growing political movement that seeks the destruction of the state of Israel."

The Israel-Hamas war has led to student protests on campus at Brown and other elite universities, where protesters are calling for the schools to disclose and divest their investments in companies and organizations linked to Israel, as well as demanding a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.

Edelman wrote that it is morally reprehensible that a divestment vote was even considered, let alone held, in the wake of the deadliest assault on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Brown's board was criticized by Edelman, who claimed that the school's decision was motivated by its fear of student activists on campus.

"Edelman wrote that Brown's decision to hold a divestment vote was not based on any real principles, but rather on weakness towards student activists. The university leadership has rewarded the activists for disrupting campus life, breaking school rules, and promoting violence and antisemitism at Brown, rather than punishing them."

Brown's leadership acknowledges that the upcoming divestment vote is intended to appease pro-Hamas activists, many of whom are supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which aims to destroy the Jewish state through political and economic warfare.

"Edelman wrote that it appears as though the Brown board is considering whether Israel has the right to defend itself, exist, and whether Jews have the right to exist, by lending credence to antisemitic voices who began protesting in support of violence against Jews before Israel had even responded to the Oct. 7 attack."

Planet Chronicle Digital did not receive an immediate response from Brown University when requested for comment.

Planet Chronicle' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.