AJC fires rogue Boston staffer for Open Hillel breach

Staffer allegedly offered to leek sensitive Hillel International information with activists from opposing grassroots group

By JTA 19 November 2014, 12:07 pm

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Opening plenary of the Open Hillel conference at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 12, 2014. (Photo: Gili Getz/JTA)

WASHINGTON — The American Jewish Committee fired a staffer who offered to share with Open Hillel activists an off-the-record recording of a conference call with the director of Hillel.

Danny Blinderman, who works in AJC’s Boston office, said in an email exchange with members of Open Hillel that he would join the call led by Hillel International CEO Eric Fingerhut on “Israel on Campus,” the Free Beacon reported Tuesday, and offered to share “all things of relevance” with an Open Hillel listserv.

Open Hillel is a small network of Jewish student campus groups that reject Hillel International’s precepts banning events with speakers who advocate boycotting Israel and working with groups that are seen as hypercritical of Israel.

Ken Bandler, the AJC spokesman, said in a statement that the organization learned after the fact that the call “was shared with unauthorized outsiders.”

“This constituted a serious breach of trust,” Bandler said. “Accordingly, the individual who shared the information is no longer employed by AJC.”