Opinion

May 11, 2010

Facing Hatred on Campus: You Can’t Fight Fire With Flowers

by Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid

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The constant harassment and incitement have made some students fear similar violence will be directed toward them. Some frustrated students are beginning to think that timid administrations are waiting for a pro-Israel student to actually be assaulted and injured so that they can finally take firm disciplinary measures.  Still other students wonder if administrations will act only after the divisiveness escalates to a religious war on campus. 

It is time for Israel’s supporters to stop operating under the misconception that these attacks are only campus-specific, sporadic or will simply burn themselves out. They cannot keep putting out individual fires without recognizing the arsonist. They must be willing to meet fire with fire, not with flowers. The flowers haven’t worked.

The seriousness of the situation must be recognized. Well-meaning students must absorb the disconcerting fact that the problem they are dealing with is a dedicated, international, orchestrated movement with a long-term battle plan. Judging from the recent divestment campaigns, if pro-Israel students don’t mobilize soon, their voices will be silenced and a false, ugly image of Israel will become the academic norm of North American education. 

What’s needed is a coordinated, carefully thought-out, long-term strategy that proactively plans programs and campaigns that are ready in advance to preempt the predictable anti-Israel actions. Coalitions must be built among Jewish and non-Jewish pro-coexistence groups on campuses across the country. Best practices should be identified and kept in place so incoming students can fill the shoes of graduating seniors, just as we see the “other side” doing.

Israel’s supporters should not expect to change the minds of those dedicated to the anti-Israel campaign. Their goal should always be directed at educating and engaging the wider community to affect the hearts and minds of the campus community as a whole.

Concerned students must also be willing to challenge the libelous charges hurled against Israel. Many students fear that debate will offend people or bring unwanted attention and credibility to the accusations, and some Jewish professionals advise them not to respond. But ignoring the charges hasn’t worked. They have grown like a cancer over the past several years.

The anti-Israel groups must be labeled and exposed for what they are:  extremists who oppose peaceful coexistence, instill hate and divisiveness, not understanding; who are bent on destruction, not on constructive solutions or compromise; who stand for racism, not human rights. They are not pro-peace or pro-Palestinian, but spoilers of peace who want to perpetuate the conflict.

If the courageous and far-too-often beleaguered pro-Israel students more fully adopt the long-term strategies, determination and coalition-building needed to face the MSU, MSA and SJP, there will be a positive change on campuses. Until then, the anti-Israel fires will continue to flare and Israel will continue to be unjustly marginalized by extremist groups that should have been exposed and marginalized themselves on campuses long ago.

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http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/05/11/for-it-msa-student-confesses-she-wants-a-second-holocaust/

Comment by College Republicans at UCSD on 5/12/10 at 5:04 pm

The article is good, but does not go far enough. There is still great naivity about what we face.

MSA/MSU and SJP are branches of Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas and al-Qaeda are also branches of Muslim Brotherhood. Need I say more?

The article correctly names many causes of pro-Israel students’ weakness. But there are other causes too. All too often pro-Israel students are against each other.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:28 am

There are those who support peace and negotiations at any price, who are pro-dialogue even when MSA clearly tells them “No dialogue.” They openly attack other pro-Israel students. I was told by one such ” peace and negotiations” student to go away.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:30 am

There are also many official Jewish organizations that are very destructive. They view appearance of new pro-Israel organizations as invasion of their turf. They wine and dine university presidents, tell them and everyone else everything is just fine. They are the first to be interviewed by the media, which uses them to create an impression that everything is fine and just a few Jewish and pro-Israel extremists are raking muck.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:31 am

University administrations are subservient to MSA/MSU and SJP because of carrots and sticks. The carrots are the Islamic Study Centers opening up on their campuses and donations they get from Saudi, Kuwaiti, UAE and other governments, royal families and magnates. The sticks are the subtle threats of violence and semi-violence, which they implicitly understand would take place, should they take disciplinary measures.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:33 am

They know that MSA members and supporters are many, well organized, and can do anything to them from invading their offices and throwing papers from windows to outright murder. They know that the Muslim Brotherhood ideology is strong enough for those students to sacrifice some of their own, if necessary, to let some of their own go to jail for outright crimes, if those crimes are to help their cause.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:35 am

The memory of what was done to Daniel Pearl and many others, as well as the rioting that followed the Danish cartoons is in all of our heads. University administrations remember it too, and it is giving them nightmares. Therefore I do not expect them to do anything substantial at all under any circumstances. The 11 arrested at UCI will be released and forgiven.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:36 am

Physical attack on the Jewish student who removed the Palestinian flag from pro-Israel exhibit at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee is one documented case. How many cases of violence go undocumented. I know of two such cases at UCI. And they are undocumented because university police, under instruction from university administration, refuse to document them. In one case, police actually told a Jewish student assaulted by MSU members that it was all her fault because she is Jewish.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:38 am

I sit and wait for murder of Jewish students to start. And even that will not change administration’s attitude.

MSA/MSU and SJP do not want to perpetuate the conflict. They want to exterminate us. They are sorry Hitler failed and want to finish his job. Let us be clear about it.

What is the solution to all this? Two years ago I thought it would be to “dance on the edge of violence” - to engage in what is euphemistically called “civil disobedience” or “nonviolent resistance.”
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:40 am

But now I no longer think this would work. A false, ugly image of Israel is the academic norm of North American education. Moreover, a false, ugly image of the Jew is becoming the norm. I feel American Jews will soon realize they have no place in this country.

Move to Israel, and once there, ignore public opinion and fight like hell. Read Jabotinsky. He has the solutions.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:41 am

“The philosopher who said ‘Homo homini lupus’ was a wise man. A man to a man is worse than a wolf, and for a long time we will not be able to do a thing about it, neither by reform from above, nor through acculturation, nor through sad lessons of life. Anyone who trusts a neighbor is a fool, even the kindest, the friendliest neighbor. Anyone who relies on justice is a fool; justice exists only for those who can achieve it through fist and persistence.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:43 am

(cont. from Jabotinsky)

“When I hear rebukes for my preaching of separation, mistrust and other tart things, I sometimes feel like answering, Yes, guilty. I have preached and will preach them, because eternal separation, eternal mistrust, eternal ‘on guard,’ eternal big stick in one’s belt is the only method to end up standing on one’s feet in this wolfish scuffle.”

Comment by David Tsal on 5/13/10 at 7:45 am

Ms. Rothstein:

  There are numerous Jewish organizations active on campus besides Stand With Us: The David Project, the Zionist Organization of America, the Hillels and Chabad Lubavitch to form an umbrella organization to combat the enemy. Many national organizations and local synagogues, etc. could join.

  Why not sponsor a “Pro Israel week” to counter the anti-Israel week(s)at the very same time. What is being done to promote this?

Comment by Bernard freedman on 5/13/10 at 10:53 am

The link is a recording of when we hosted David Horowitz at UCSD earlier this week, and asks the MSA student if she is for or against the staement “I’m glad the Jews are coming to Israel so we don’t have to hunt them down all over the globe to kill them” and she says “For it.”

http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/05/11/for-it-msa-student-confesses-she-wants-a-second-holocaust/

-Chair of College Republicans at UCSD

Comment by Inez on 5/14/10 at 10:27 am

I am a member of ZOA. And I do support pro-Israel week.

However, I have no hope that it would work. We have 2,000 years of history to prove that it is impossible to convince the population that we didn’t kill Jesus, poison wells, drink out local rivers, consume babies’ blood on Passover, etc. etc. I do not think this will be any different.
(cont.)

Comment by David Tsal on 5/14/10 at 2:16 pm

What makes a difference? I was too young to remember, but my parents told me that after Israeli victory in 6-day war, even the most fervent antisemites walked with their heads hung low.

The answer is in Israel, and it is not peaceful. Read Jabotinsky. Read Elie Wiesel’s “Dawn.”

Comment by David Tsal on 5/14/10 at 2:17 pm

I seriously recommend contacting your local FBI, police or Sheriff departments to report any criminal behavior towards Jewish students, including stalking, threats (verbal or online), assaults and destruction of property.

Comment by Nessus on 5/15/10 at 5:08 pm

What would happen if Malik Ali got his butt whupped?  If he were white, he’d never last on campus? Why is he still funded? Why is he still allowed on campus?

Comment by alan on 5/16/10 at 11:14 am

I would like to know more. I have read about an organization called One Voice. I have also read about the organizations noted in the other comments. Is there an investigative reported at the Journal who could research these organizations i.e. who funds SJP, MSA/MSU, etc.?

Comment by Sandi on 5/16/10 at 2:05 pm

Who funds One Voice? From what I’ve read, I like the actions being taken by One Voice; but I’ve also learned not to believe everything that’s written. Many students in SJP truly believe they are supporting humanitarian issues, they see Israel defense expenses in the US budget, but nothing for Palestine. Therefore, they believe they are on the side of the “little guy” against the “big, bad, US conglomerate.”

Comment by Sandi on 5/16/10 at 2:06 pm

If you follow the links from the SJP web site or if you follow some of the source they quote in their literature, they will site other organizations that supposedly are their supporters like Jews for Peace, Jew for Justice in Palestine. Their recent divestment had 2 videos - one from a young woman who claimed to be an Israeli and the other from an older woman who claimed to be a Jewish survivor of Nazi Germany.

Comment by Sandi on 5/16/10 at 2:21 pm

Both made pointed comments that they were Jewish supporting divestment & denouncing Israel. If Jewish students on campus are constantly hearing & seeing this type of information, how do you expect them to determine the legitimacy of the claims? Believe the press & media or believe Jewish women who decry supposed inhumane acts on the part of a government?

Comment by Sandi on 5/16/10 at 2:22 pm

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