reading the Hagadah is just the beginning internalizing and implementing its G-dly lessons each and every day is vital.

Dude you seem a little angry. Given I made aliyah having worked in the Jewish community where I grew up, served in the army (including in the territories), and made a reasonable contribution to Israel, and send my kids to a Jewish school and Zionist youth movements your comments are kind of a bit amusing. You might want to reflect on how you communicate with other folk online.

Sam, many thanks for showing your true colours.

You write that some BDS supporters do want to see Israel destroyed, others simply want to pressure Israel to make peace after 48 years.

Pressure Israel and not put any pressure on the Fakestinians??? Your anti-Zionist prejudice pokes out like Pinnochio’s nose!

Your prejudice is compounded by (i) ignoring the BDS’s originator’s (Omar BArgouti) statement that it was designed to bring Israel down (ii) ignoring that Israel is not – repeat NOT – guilty of the racist behaviours which brought about the BDS action against South Africa (iii) the repeated offers of land for peace by Israel and the repeated rejection of the Arabs of peace, the recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people and their breaking every agreement that they signed, the latest of the joining the ICC with the express purpose of waging lawfare on Israel.

Your pseudo-intellectualisation reveals you to be nothing but an apologist for Israel bashers and anti-Semites.

Paul, Slezak’s lies are so egregious that his credibility with respect to anything he says should be called into question.
What sort of a university retains the services of someone who has such a credibility deficit?

It’s not a matter of free speech; it’s a matter of credibility.

If a university philosophy teacher kept saying that the Earth is flat, would he keep his job on the grounds of free speech?
Slezak’s lies are in the same league.
How can any student believe that Slezak’s “tuition” can equip him to deal with even a semblance of the real world?
It’s bizarre, grotesque, surrealistic.
It’s Orwellian.

My comment was not clear enough to be unambiguously understood. My comment “Nope – not sure how you got to that conclusion.” was related to “You seem to think that its objectives are more limited.” and not to “BDS is a weapon in the war for Israel’s destruction.”

Sam, to be specific, why not research the pronouncements of Omar Barghouti, the founder of BDS; you know, the one who was funded by Israeli taxpayers to obtain a PhD degree from Tel Aviv University?

Take his word for it if you don’t take mine.

I’ll tell you how I got to that conclusion, Sam: by reading what the leadership and rank and file of BDS proclaim.
Incidentally, do you know for how long the territorial dispute between India and the Islamic State of Pakistan has been in existence regarding the disputed territories of Kashmir?
Why no pressure there?
Why no trash talk about mythical “occupied territories” and garbage gabble about “illegal settlements’?
Can you work it out, Sam?

Gabrielle, a talk about Hannah Arendt would indeed have been interesting, I myself even thought so at first glance. However the subject of the talk is not the issue – even if he hadn’t mentioned his anti-Israel views at all during the talk. What’s at issue is not legitimising the man who has done so much harm to Israel and influenced so many uninformed Australians to do the same, by giving him a platform at a Jewish event. It’s that simple.

Another point:

A more urgent imperative for the Jewish People than trying to reason with unreasonable antisemites is to ensure that our youth is taught the truth about Zionism.
Just as we read the Pesach Haggada, we need to create a “Zionist Haggadah” and we need diligently to read it to our children.
Erev Yom Ha’Atzmaut would be an appropriate time.