A program on Palestinian nonviolent movements was canceled less than 48 hours before it was to take place at a Jewish community space in New York.
Steven Hazan Arnoff, executive director of the 14th Street Y, called off the May 27 event planned by Young, Jewish and Proud, the youth branch of Jewish Voice for Peace.
The program went on anyway in a nearby park. In celebration of Shavuot, participants ate cheese blintzes, engaged in text study, and discussed the implications of BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel. YJP has held similar events in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco.
In a statement, Young, Jewish and Proud said that Arnoff would not reschedule the event. The group said it signed a contract and rented the space months earlier.
According to Young, Jewish and Proud, Arnoff said he was canceling the event due to concerns over high attendance. But just 40 people had reserved space for the workshop in a room with a capacity of 75, the group said. — jta