Two years ago, Harvard’s Hillel chapter clamped down on dissent. The Hillel-affiliated Progressive Jewish Alliance planned an event with the Palestine Solidarity Committee to bring two anti-occupation Jews to America’s most elite institution. It would be under the roof of Hillel, the well-endowed organization that is at the center of Jewish life on college campuses.

Hillel leaders and donors pushed back hard because the Palestine Solidarity Committee supported the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement–a violation of Hillel International’s guidelines for what speakers they can host. Hillel’s leadership said that as long as the Palestine solidarity group co-sponsored the talk, it could not be held under their roof.

But instead of extinguishing dissent, Hillel’s move gave birth to a new movement, and a new Jewish community: Open Hillel.