(JTA) — Sheldon Adelson will host a private meeting in Las Vegas of Jewish philanthropists and organizations aiming to counter rising anti-Israel activity on college campuses.
The meeting to brainstorm and fund strategies will be held this weekend at Adelson’s Venetian casino, the Forward reported. Joining Adelson as hosts are Hollywood entertainment tycoon Haim Saban, Israeli-born real estate developer Adam Milstein and Canadian businesswoman Heather Reisman.
Among the Jewish organizations invited are Hillel, StandWithUs, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federations of North America. The self-described “pro-Israel, pro-peace” J Street U, which opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, was not invited.
The philanthropists initiated the meeting amid the growing BDS drive on campuses. In the past year, student governments at 15 U.S. universities have adopted resolutions calling for their schools to divest from companies deemed to be complicit in Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
Saban, a billionaire who has close ties to announced Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, has been discussing the idea for over a year with Israeli officials such as Michael Oren, the former U.S. ambassador and now a Knesset member, according to the Forward.
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