There's been a lot written and said by folks who have no idea what the College Democrats are, what their meeting this weekend was all about or how the students reacted to Hasan Piker. @jstreetdotorg's Adam Deakin was there - and shares his perspective: open.substack.com/pub/jstree…

This weekend, J Street U co-sponsored the College Democrats of America convention. Since it was announced that Hasan Piker would be speaking, some have sought to portray our participation as an endorsement of his views. That is simply false. J Street disagrees with much of what Hasan Piker says and with the way he says it. We won't hesitate to say so. But we also reject the notion that the right answer to his invitation is to abandon the very spaces where the next generation of Democratic leaders is debating these issues. Our mission is not to preach to the converted. It is to ensure that a pro-Israel, pro-peace voice is heard wherever the future of American politics is being shaped. If we leave those conversations to others, we shouldn't be surprised when the loudest and most polarizing voices dominate them. Let's also dispense with the misinformation. J Street U was one of many conference sponsors. Our sponsorship amounted to a couple thousand dollars for an exhibit table. We had no role in choosing speakers, no approval over the program and no say in who was invited to address the conference. Suggesting otherwise is either uninformed or intentionally misleading. Some of our critics don't object to this particular conference. They object to J Street. They have spent years trying to convince people that there is no room in American Jewish life or Democratic politics for a pro-Israel movement that also insists on Palestinian rights, opposes the occupation and believes diplomacy is stronger than perpetual war. They won't succeed. Too many people want young Americans to believe there are only two choices: defend every action of the Israeli government or reject Israel altogether. That is a false choice, and it is one J Street was founded to reject. We will continue to show up. We will continue to engage. We will continue making the case for a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can both live in freedom, security and peace. And we won't be intimidated into surrendering that conversation to voices we disagree with – or to critics who would rather see us stay home.