The David Project

Mission

From the website of TDP, "empowers student leaders to build mutually beneficial and enduring partnerships with diverse organizations so that the pro-Israel community is integrated and valued on campus." TDP focused on building student partnerships and helping Israel groups reach out to their peers to talk about Israel.

Activities

Major activities of TDP included:

• Israel Uncovered - Sponsored ten-day trips to Israel for Jewish and non-Jewish campus Israel advocates.
• Relationship Building Institute – Training for students to learn Israel advocacy methods through building relationships.

Documentaries

''The Forgotten Refugees''

The David Project and IsraTV produced the documentary film The Forgotten Refugees in 2005, a documentary about the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries in the second half of the 20th century.

The film won the "Best Featured Documentary" at the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival in 2006 and "Best Documentary Film" at the 2007 Marbella International Film Festival.

''Columbia Unbecoming''

Main article: Columbia Unbecoming controversy

In 2004, the David Project produced a documentary film titled Columbia Unbecoming. The film interviewed pro-Israel students at Columbia University who complained that professors had intimidated or been unfair to them over their political views. The release of the film led to an inquiry and to United States Representative Anthony Weiner to call for one of the professors involved, Joseph Massad, to be fired. The inquiry found no evidence for the complaints and the political motive of the students filing them were questioned.

Harvard University

TDP was involved in pressuring Harvard University to reject funds from Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of the United Arab Emirates, who funded and lent his name to a think-tank based in Abu Dhabi that they saw as Anti-American and Anti-Semitic. The campaign, led by Rachel Fish, who later became an employee of TDP, and her student supporters, contributed to Zayed's decision to shut down the Zayed Center in August 2003, saying that it "had engaged in a discourse that starkly contradicted the principles of interfaith tolerance."

In July 2004, the campaign concluded when Harvard decided to reject the $2.5 million donation from the Sultan Al Nahyan. Through her activism, in 2003, Fish was named one of the 50 most influential Jews in America by The Forward.

Boston Mosque Controversy

In 2005, TDP, its director of education, 13 other groups and two media outlets; the Boston Herald and Fox Television's Channel 25 were sued by the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) which alleged 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." In 2006, The David Project sued the Boston Redevelopment Authority to obtain documents regarding the authority's sale of land to the Islamic Society of Boston for construction of a mosque, which revealed that some funding for the mosque had come from the Islamic Development Bank of Saudi Arabia.{{cite news

Criticism

The Forward wrote in 2004 that TDP had "a national reputation for hounding Muslims that it perceives to be a threat to the Jewish community."

References

References

1. (29 October 2004). "Columbia to investigate charges of anti-Jewish intimidation by Arab professors".
2. (15 May 2020). "Enforcing Silence: Academic Freedom, Palestine and the Criticism of Israel". Zed Books.
3. Kampeas, Ron. (August 24, 2017). "Once 'combative' David Project joins Hillel International for Israel advocacy".
4. "The David Project Website".
5. (March 14, 2005). "Academic Freedom and the Teaching of Palestine-Israel: The Columbia University Case, Part II".
6. (January 2014). "The David Project (home page)". The David Project.
7. (March 11, 2020). "The David Project".
8. (August 25, 2017). "Face to face".
9. "The Forgotten Refugees Website".
10. "2006 Awards {{!}} Warsaw Jewish Film Festival".
11. "Film Awards 2007 | Marbella International Film Festival".
12. (April 2017)
13. Ranalli, Ralph. (July 28, 2004). "Harvard to return $2.5m given by Arab president". Boston.com.
14. Kamins, Toni L.. (July 30, 2004). "Campaign Against Harvard Gift Ends in Victory for Tennessee Girl".
15. "Harvard Returns Gift to Arab President," July 30, 2004 | The Harvard Crimson".
16. (November 14, 2003). "ACTIVISM".
17. Schwartz, Penny. (March 26, 2006). "Boston mosque project chills dialogue".