Rice University LGBTQ group cuts ties with campus Hillel over support for Israel

[Behind the Aegis]

An LGBTQ student group at Rice University has cut ties with the school’s Hillel, in the latest instance of backlash from a progressive group against the Jewish campus organization’s support for Israel.

The LGBTQ group, Rice Pride, announced the split last week in a statement on Instagram that said Hillel’s international umbrella group was “not reflective of the values of inclusion upheld by Rice Pride.”

“Rice Pride’s ultimate goal is to provide a safe space for queer students of all backgrounds, and to recognize the intersectionalities between queer identity and race, ethnicity, and religion,” the statement said. The group did not respond to a request for comment and, on Wednesday, made its Instagram account private after drawing criticism from pro-Israel groups.

According to Rice Pride’s statement, Houston Hillel had provided funding for the group’s Queer Resource Center. The two campus groups have co-hosted 12 events since 2016. A Rice Pride leader told the campus newspaper, the Rice Thresher, that no student had said the local Hillel “has made them uncomfortable in any way.”

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Their "ultimate goal" is bullshit and nothing more than bigotry.

[Chi67]

1. There is a lot of missing info here.

What is the disputed issue(s)?

[Behind the Aegis]

2. It is in the article.

The LGBTQ group broke ties for...

But in the statement, the group said it opposed guidelines put forward by Hillel International, an umbrella group for campus chapters, that prohibit campus Hillels partnering with or hosting groups that advocate for a boycott of Israel or that deny Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. It also listed instances of Hillel chapters at other schools opposing pro-Palestinian activism.

[LostOne4Ever]

3. This stinks of antisemitism

Especially seeing as they didn’t even attempt to get input from its own members.

They should be trying to find ways to unite not divide further!