Evan Lehmann
Overview
As of March 2020, Lehmann’s LinkedIn page said he was a “Research Fellow” at Stanford Law School, since June 2019 and that he received a bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Brown in 2019.
Promoting a Terrorist
On July 8, 2019, Lehmann shared an article about Ghassan Khanafani onTwitter and wrote: “Kanafani’s literature has contributed to my understanding of Palestine and Palestinian politics immensely! And so much of it can be found in pdf form online!”Kanafani was a leading member and spokesperson for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) during the terrorist organization’s early years. Kanafani announced the PFLP’s responsibility for the Lod Airport Massacre of May 1972 and was linked to the airport attackers. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 80 others.
BDS Activism
Lehmann co-wrote an article for the Brown Daily Herald published onMarch 20, 2019 and titled: “A Jewish case for Brown Divest.” Brown Divest was “a divestment campaign organized by a coalition of undergraduate students who call upon Brown University to divest from companies complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine.”The authors dismissed arguments that Israel has a right to defend itself from aggression and argued that one should “resist cynical, zero-sum calculations of Jewish safety that lead to isolation.”
The authors also referred to Israel as “a nation-state whose policies too often rest on dispossession, displacement and violence against Palestinian people.” They insisted that calls for divestment and critiques of Israel and its policies are not inherently anti-Semitic” and felt equipped to say this “as Jewish students.”
Lehmann and his co-authors referred to a divestment resolution that was to be presented to the student body the next day. The authors denied that the resolution shut down dialogue and that it unfairly singled out Israel for condemnation, claiming economic cooperation with Israel would “reveal complicity in violence perpetrated against Palestinians.”
On March 21, 2019 Brown Divest activists put forward a pro-BDS referendum to the student body and the referendum was passed. The activists promised to “hold the administration accountable to the outcome of this referendum.”
Brown President Christina Paxson responded to the referendum’s passage, stating: “I have been steadfast in my view that Brown should not embrace any of the planks of the BDS...I made it clear that Brown would not support academic boycotts of Israel or any other country, since doing so would inhibit the open scholarly exchange that is critical for the advancement of knowledge.”
Also on March 20, 2019, Lehmann shared the article on Facebook with the caption: “From us to you: A Jewish case for Brown Divest
#YesOnDivest.”On June 14, 2019, Lehmann tweeted an article from Electronic Intifada called: “Florida passes law protecting Israel from criticism” and commented: “It is really wild that pro-Israel bills are making their way through state legislatures (Missouri included). It’s a good strategy for Israel—criminalizes anti-Israel sentiment while diluting and confusing pro-Palestinian blocs in the US.”
The article discussed the passage of the Anti-Semitism bill in Florida and claimed: “it would be illegal to speak out in public institutions against Israel’s human rights violations.”
The article also claimed the bill “says that speech ‘delegitimizing Israel by denying Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist’ is considered anti-Semitism” and complained that “Such tropes are classic attempts to censor criticism of Israel’s state ideology, Zionism.”
Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 19, 2019 event called: “Vote Yes on Brown Divest.” The event was aimed to give directions to Brown students on how to vote for BDS on their electronic ballots.
Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he“went” to a March 18, 2019 event called: “The TEA on Brown Divest.” Students were invited to the “LAST Divestment 101 information session before the referendum vote.”
On December 2, 2019, Lehmann shared a graphic indicating a BDS resolution passed at Brown and tweeted: “🥺🥺🥺🥰🥰🥰😌😌😌😈😈😈🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳🥳 literally Brown Divest 😍😍😍😍amazing.”
Demonizing Supporters of Israel
In March 2016, a group of Brown students launched a petition to encourage transgender rights activist Janet Mock to cancel her then-upcoming speech, at Brown.Mock’s speech was co-sponsored by Brown’s Hillel chapter and Moral Voices, a Jewish student group at Brown, which is “funded by a grant from within the Hillel budget.”The petition stated: “Hillel as a corporation has consistently defended and even advocated for the Israeli state’s policies of occupation and racial apartheid. Israel’s violent policies center on colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and genocide of native Palestinians.”
Lehmann signed the petition and commented: “Stop pinkwashing!”
“Pinkwashing” is a claim that Israel advocates manipulate the LGBTQ community in order to garner support for Israel.
Brown University President, Professor Christina Paxson issued a statement expressing “regret” at Mock’s decision to cancel and disappointment “that a valuable learning opportunity was lost” due to “a small number of students” who had caused “her talk to be overshadowed by an issue unrelated to her work.”
Paxson’s statement further said: “while we cannot and should not prevent any member of our community from signing a petition, it is counter to Brown’s norms and values for expressions of dissent to be targeted at a student group because of its religious affiliation.”
Paxson further issued an “open invitation” to Mock and said she would “be glad to have any student organization join me in co-sponsoring her talk.”
Anti-Israel Activism
On May 7, 2018, Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he“went” to an event called: “Commemorating the Nakba: Film Screening and Discussion.” The event, co-hosted by Brown SJP and Brown Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), was the inaugural event for the new Brown chapter of JVP.
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.
On May 14, 2018, Lehmann indicated on Facebook that hewent to an event called: “Moment of Silence for Gaza.” The event’s Facebook description said participants would join “to mourn the deaths of the 52 … Gazan protesters killed today, and all those who have been killed and injured over the course of the past six weeks.”
On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.
An organizer of the Brown “Moment of Silence for Gaza” event clarified on Facebook that the event would “be specifically calling for the right of return and condemning the move the embassy to Jerusalem.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a January 28, 2016 event, hosted by SJP at Brown, called: “Protesting the Sharansky and Douglas Talk: End Zionist Whitewashing of Apartheid.”
The event was to protest actor, Michael Douglas and Jewish activist, Natan Sharansky who were coming to Brown to speak about their personal experiences with Judaism, Israel and anti-Semitism.
The Brown SJP event Facebook description said Douglas and Sharansky would work “to equate campus activism and speech critical of Israel with claims of anti-Semitism” and invited people to “Join us at 7pm outside of Brown University's Salomon Hall to protest this egregious display of Settler Colonial apologism.”
Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a March 22, 2016 event called: “Poetic Resistance: A Night With Remi Kanazi and Omar Offendum,” hosted by Brown SJP.
Poet Remi Kanazi is known for his aggressively anti-Israel spoken-word performances. He has supported terrorism and has compared Israel to both ISIS and the Ku Klux Klan.
Offendum has expressed support for the BDS movement and spread hatred of Israel.
Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he “went” to an April 10, 2017 event called: “Co-struggling towards Liberation: Black-Palestinian Solidarity,” hosted by Brown SJP.
The event featured a Black liberation activist who would share “her own experience with the Dream Defenders delegation to the West Bank, and discuss how we can connect BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) to Black Lives Matter.”
The group later adopted a harsh anti-Israel position and has led several delegations to Israel and where they met exclusively with anti-Israel groups and individuals, including militants from the terrorist organization Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Lehmann indicated on Facebook that he “went” to a May 3, 2019 event called: “Vigil For Victims Of Douma And Gaza,” hosted by Brown SJP. The event’s Facebook description claimed: “34 Gazans have been massacred by the Israeli Defense Forces since the peaceful Land Day protests began in Gaza.”
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
SJP
SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.
The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.
SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.
SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.
SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.
Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/1052165779Twitter:https://twitter.com/evan__lehmann [Deleted]
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-lehmann-625236107/
