J Street and its student program J Street U will take all necessary steps – legal and otherwise – when we confront a pattern of harassment of our student leaders by our political opponents.
It is one thing to engage in a strong and vibrant argument over the difficult issues at stake in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are deeply committed to an open and engaging dialogue when it is grounded in the substance of our disagreements.
It is another to conduct a campaign of personal intimidation and harassment, which is the pattern of behavior that Daniel Mael, a student blogger at Brandeis, has established in relating to J Street U student leaders.
In a new episode this weekend, a story was fabricated concerning one of the leaders of J Street U Brandeis. That student has now filed a report with the campus police over the incident that Mael invented and his ongoing pattern of harassment at Brandeis. The matter is now in the hands of campus police and we hope the authorities will take action to address our serious concerns.
In the meantime, we ask that others in the Jewish community and media – even those who don’t agree with us politically – will distance themselves from this blogger and others with a history of conduct driven by malice and deceit.
While J Street and J Street U remain deeply committed to a vibrant and respectful campus conversation, there is a line that cannot be crossed. Unfortunately, some questionable bloggers and campus figures have consistently and consciously crossed that line. We will not tolerate harassment of our student leaders, and we see no reason for us to have any further interaction — on the Brandeis campus, online or in other venues — with those peddling in slander. We hope others will make the same determination.