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EspañolTHE DAVID PROJECT CENTER FOR JEWISH LEADERSHIP
(Redirected from David Project)
'The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership' is a non-profit corporation located in Boston, Massachusetts, with satellite offices in New York and in Israel. The David Project's stated aim is "to promote a fair and honest understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict."[1] It was founded in 2002 by Charles Jacobs, who serves as its president.[2] Previously, Jacobs served as Deputy Director of the Boston Chapter of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America [1] and founded the American Anti-Slavery Group.
According to its website, 'The David Project' is "committed to building Jewish leadership; increasing the support for Israel on campus; strengthening the pro-Israel and pro-Jewish sentiments and friendships within churches; and working in partnership with Jewish day schools and synagogue after-school programs to incorporate Israel advocacy and leadership skills into their core curricula."
(From official website of 'The David Project':)
'The David Project' works to "develop educated, skilled and courageous leaders to defeat the ideological assault on Israel that is taking place on campuses, in high schools, in churches and in the general community."
This statement has been updated recently to reflect the viewpoint of 'The David Project' that this is "a new time" for the Jewish people: "Israel is depicted as the cruelest among nations, and falsely singled out as the primary cause of conflict in the Middle East and in the world. The ideological onslaught against the Jewish State – in the media, mainstream churches, and on campus – masquerades as legitimate criticism but is in reality an unfair and dishonest discourse which vilifies and delegitimizes Israel – and her supporters. This is, in effect, a new form of hatred.""The David Project Responds to a New Time,", '''The David Project''', accessed July 29, 2006. Cf. New anti-Semitism.
A description of ''Columbia Unbecoming'', a film produced by 'The David Project' and featured on its official website, states: "We believe in Jewish political self-determination in the Middle East, and are proud to be called Zionists."[3]
(From official website of 'The David Project':)
★ Four-day intensive Israel-advocacy and leadership seminars for college students.
★ Four-day teacher training institutes, featuring an "Israel Advocacy Curriculum for Jewish High Schools."
★ Short advocacy workshops: "'The David Project' helps students and adults become more effective advocates for Israel. Our educational workshops can be delivered as a 90-minute lecture or as a three-hour interactive session."
★ Christian Outreach program: "Through a combination of research, grassroots lobbying and consulting, the 'David Project'’s Christian Outreach program hold church leaders accountable for their statements and policies about the Arab/Israeli conflict."
★ Documentary productions ("Our Films"): ''Columbia Unbecoming'' (see Criticism) and ''The Forgotten Refugees''.
'The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership' has sparked controversy at academic institutions and in the media, particularly about its film ''Columbia Unbecoming'' ("A David Project documentary") about Columbia University.[4] Journalists provide background for the continuing controversy when, "[i]n December [2005], with the approval of Columbia University president Lee Bollinger and Provost Alan Brinkley, Nicholas Dirks, vice president for Arts and Sciences, appointed a committee, composed of members from his faculty, to investigate charges by a number of students in the Middle East studies department that certain of its professors bullied and humiliated students who wanted to question in class those professors' insistently biased views of the state of Israel" (Hentoff).[5] The makeup and process of that Columbia University committee further stimulated one of many heated debates among supporters and detractors of 'The David Project' and its film.[6]
In 2005, The David Project and its director of education were named as defendants in a lawsuit against 17 individuals and entities, including the Boston Herald and Fox Television's Channel 25, in which the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) alleges that they "conspired to publish and broadcast false and defamatory information about mosque leaders in part to halt development of [a] project ... [p]lanned as the largest mosque in New England." On May 29th, 2007, the ISB unexpectedly dropped its lawsuit against all defendants. Paradoxically, the ISB and the Muslim American Society, which assisted the ISB during the litigation, claimed in their press release regarding their decision to drop the lawsuit that they have “achiev[ed] a major victory and settl[ed] a four-year legal battle which attempted to stop the building of the largest Islamic center on the east coast.” [2]
However, while the ISB defamation lawsuit was dropped and a lawsuit brought against the building of the ISB mosque by a private individual was dismissed several months earlier, The David Project has not abandoned its own litigation. In a press release on the matter, The David Project states, “The David Project, whose public records litigation against the BRA forced the public disclosure of evidence regarding the below-fair-market land deal between the BRA and the ISB and the role played in that deal of BRA Deputy Director Muhammed Ali Salaam, will proceed exactly as before with its litigation, seeking the remainder of the documents presently withheld by the BRA. That litigation, The David Project v. Boston Redevelopment Authority, is on file in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.”[3]
The David Project also presents the ISB’s withdrawal of the lawsuit as having occurred due to the steady disclosure during the litigation discovery phase of additional evidence on the ISB’s terror connections, multimillion dollar donations from wealthy Saudi Middle Eastern sources, and the extremist track records of its top leaders.
1. "Our Mission", '''The David Project''', accessed July 29, 2006.
2. Non-profit corporation "Summary Sheet" for The David Project, Inc. n.d., ''The Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Corporations Division'' (copyright 2001-2006), accessed July 27, 2006; cf. "A New Team for a New Time with a Strong Sense of Mission," '''The David Project''' (copyright 2006), accessed July 31, 2006.
3. Qtd. from item number 8 of 'The David Project''s "Key Points about the Columbia Unbecoming video."
4. See Columbia Unbecoming - A David Project documentary, n.d. (copyright 2006), accessed July 28, 2006; video clip featured in website section called "Our Films". Cf. "Key Points about the Columbia Unbecoming video" and Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger, "Statement on the David Project Film", press release, October 27, 2004, accessed August 6, 2006.
5. Cf. "David Project Reacts to Columbia Report on Student Harassment," ''Campus Watch'', March 31, 2005, accessed July 29, 2006; Nat Hentoff, "Columbia Still Unbecoming," ''The Village Voice'', March 4, 2005; Scott Sherman, "The Mideast Comes to Columbia," ''The Nation'', April 4, 2005, both accessed July 28, 2006; selection of "press coverage of the film" provided by 'The David Project' with hyperlinks.
6. See item 7 of "Key Points about the Columbia Unbecoming video"; cf. Some examples of commentary and critique relating to CAMERA, the media watchdog organization co-founded by Charles Jacobs.
★ American Anti-Slavery Group
★ Benador Associates
★ Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)
★ Israel Campus Roundtable (the David Project is a member)
★ Sourcewatch
★ The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership Official website
'The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership' is a non-profit corporation located in Boston, Massachusetts, with satellite offices in New York and in Israel. The David Project's stated aim is "to promote a fair and honest understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict."[1] It was founded in 2002 by Charles Jacobs, who serves as its president.[2] Previously, Jacobs served as Deputy Director of the Boston Chapter of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America [1] and founded the American Anti-Slavery Group.
According to its website, 'The David Project' is "committed to building Jewish leadership; increasing the support for Israel on campus; strengthening the pro-Israel and pro-Jewish sentiments and friendships within churches; and working in partnership with Jewish day schools and synagogue after-school programs to incorporate Israel advocacy and leadership skills into their core curricula."
| Contents |
| Mission statement |
| Activities |
| Criticism |
| Notes |
| See also |
| External links |
Mission statement
(From official website of 'The David Project':)
'The David Project' works to "develop educated, skilled and courageous leaders to defeat the ideological assault on Israel that is taking place on campuses, in high schools, in churches and in the general community."
This statement has been updated recently to reflect the viewpoint of 'The David Project' that this is "a new time" for the Jewish people: "Israel is depicted as the cruelest among nations, and falsely singled out as the primary cause of conflict in the Middle East and in the world. The ideological onslaught against the Jewish State – in the media, mainstream churches, and on campus – masquerades as legitimate criticism but is in reality an unfair and dishonest discourse which vilifies and delegitimizes Israel – and her supporters. This is, in effect, a new form of hatred.""The David Project Responds to a New Time,", '''The David Project''', accessed July 29, 2006. Cf. New anti-Semitism.
A description of ''Columbia Unbecoming'', a film produced by 'The David Project' and featured on its official website, states: "We believe in Jewish political self-determination in the Middle East, and are proud to be called Zionists."[3]
Activities
(From official website of 'The David Project':)
★ Four-day intensive Israel-advocacy and leadership seminars for college students.
★ Four-day teacher training institutes, featuring an "Israel Advocacy Curriculum for Jewish High Schools."
★ Short advocacy workshops: "'The David Project' helps students and adults become more effective advocates for Israel. Our educational workshops can be delivered as a 90-minute lecture or as a three-hour interactive session."
★ Christian Outreach program: "Through a combination of research, grassroots lobbying and consulting, the 'David Project'’s Christian Outreach program hold church leaders accountable for their statements and policies about the Arab/Israeli conflict."
★ Documentary productions ("Our Films"): ''Columbia Unbecoming'' (see Criticism) and ''The Forgotten Refugees''.
Criticism
'The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership' has sparked controversy at academic institutions and in the media, particularly about its film ''Columbia Unbecoming'' ("A David Project documentary") about Columbia University.[4] Journalists provide background for the continuing controversy when, "[i]n December [2005], with the approval of Columbia University president Lee Bollinger and Provost Alan Brinkley, Nicholas Dirks, vice president for Arts and Sciences, appointed a committee, composed of members from his faculty, to investigate charges by a number of students in the Middle East studies department that certain of its professors bullied and humiliated students who wanted to question in class those professors' insistently biased views of the state of Israel" (Hentoff).[5] The makeup and process of that Columbia University committee further stimulated one of many heated debates among supporters and detractors of 'The David Project' and its film.[6]
In 2005, The David Project and its director of education were named as defendants in a lawsuit against 17 individuals and entities, including the Boston Herald and Fox Television's Channel 25, in which the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) alleges that they "conspired to publish and broadcast false and defamatory information about mosque leaders in part to halt development of [a] project ... [p]lanned as the largest mosque in New England." On May 29th, 2007, the ISB unexpectedly dropped its lawsuit against all defendants. Paradoxically, the ISB and the Muslim American Society, which assisted the ISB during the litigation, claimed in their press release regarding their decision to drop the lawsuit that they have “achiev[ed] a major victory and settl[ed] a four-year legal battle which attempted to stop the building of the largest Islamic center on the east coast.” [2]
However, while the ISB defamation lawsuit was dropped and a lawsuit brought against the building of the ISB mosque by a private individual was dismissed several months earlier, The David Project has not abandoned its own litigation. In a press release on the matter, The David Project states, “The David Project, whose public records litigation against the BRA forced the public disclosure of evidence regarding the below-fair-market land deal between the BRA and the ISB and the role played in that deal of BRA Deputy Director Muhammed Ali Salaam, will proceed exactly as before with its litigation, seeking the remainder of the documents presently withheld by the BRA. That litigation, The David Project v. Boston Redevelopment Authority, is on file in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.”[3]
The David Project also presents the ISB’s withdrawal of the lawsuit as having occurred due to the steady disclosure during the litigation discovery phase of additional evidence on the ISB’s terror connections, multimillion dollar donations from wealthy Saudi Middle Eastern sources, and the extremist track records of its top leaders.
Notes
1. "Our Mission", '''The David Project''', accessed July 29, 2006.
2. Non-profit corporation "Summary Sheet" for The David Project, Inc. n.d., ''The Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Corporations Division'' (copyright 2001-2006), accessed July 27, 2006; cf. "A New Team for a New Time with a Strong Sense of Mission," '''The David Project''' (copyright 2006), accessed July 31, 2006.
3. Qtd. from item number 8 of 'The David Project''s "Key Points about the Columbia Unbecoming video."
4. See Columbia Unbecoming - A David Project documentary, n.d. (copyright 2006), accessed July 28, 2006; video clip featured in website section called "Our Films". Cf. "Key Points about the Columbia Unbecoming video" and Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger, "Statement on the David Project Film", press release, October 27, 2004, accessed August 6, 2006.
5. Cf. "David Project Reacts to Columbia Report on Student Harassment," ''Campus Watch'', March 31, 2005, accessed July 29, 2006; Nat Hentoff, "Columbia Still Unbecoming," ''The Village Voice'', March 4, 2005; Scott Sherman, "The Mideast Comes to Columbia," ''The Nation'', April 4, 2005, both accessed July 28, 2006; selection of "press coverage of the film" provided by 'The David Project' with hyperlinks.
6. See item 7 of "Key Points about the Columbia Unbecoming video"; cf. Some examples of commentary and critique relating to CAMERA, the media watchdog organization co-founded by Charles Jacobs.
See also
★ American Anti-Slavery Group
★ Benador Associates
★ Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)
★ Israel Campus Roundtable (the David Project is a member)
★ Sourcewatch
External links
★ The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership Official website
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