[Peace-discuss] Anti-Semitism Discussion

[David Green]

Dear Friends:

I think that the discussion last night was a
productive way to begin the process of addressing
these issues. I thank Charlotte for raising the issue
which, in spite of my initial e-mail rant, has to be
dealt with seriously and respectfully.

Below is a letter from the Maroon, a student newspaper
at the University of Chicago. Second is the full text
of an edited letter that was in last Wednesday's N-G.
Finally is a letter I sent off today. I would also
suggest for those interested to go to
electronicintifada.net and read some of the articles
under Israel Lobby Watch, especially responses by
targeted academics to the Campus-Watch website that
has been put up by the Middle East Forum, an extreme
right-wing think tank.

David Green

Letter to the Editor: Allegations of anti-Semitism

By Online Editor 
To the Editor: 

We are writing to express our concern about the
allegations of a climate of anti-Semitism on the
University of Chicago campus. We question a core
assumption behind these allegations‹that criticism of
Israeli policies must be equivalent to anti-Semitism.
As a diverse group of students engaged in debate about
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we feel that
legitimate criticism of Israeli policies must not be
conflated with anti-Semitism. At the University of
Chicago, labeling events that may criticize Israeli
policies as anti-Semitic is the rhetorical strategy of
a small minority, a strategy aimed at inflaming an
uninformed audience, and silencing informative
reasonable debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Only open debate and meaningful dialogue will bring
about a just solution to the conflict. Publicizing
criticism of Israel as "anti-Semitic" intimidates
people into silence, and prevents such dialogue from
taking place. This attempt at silencing debate serves
to further a political agenda of unquestioned support
for the Israeli government's continued occupation of
the Palestinian territories. Ironically, this
minority's loose and frequent use of the term
"anti-Semitism" follows the same dangerous logic as do
people who defend hate crimes as political acts. If
criticizing Israeli policies is anti-Semitic, then
burning a synagogue can be construed by anti-Semites
as criticizing Israeli policies. Neither side of this
dangerous coin is valid. Given the terrible history of
real anti-Semitism, we feel obligated to call
attention to such heinous logic, which simply spreads
confusion and hate. Finally, it is important to
consider how this minority uses such logic to
irresponsibly jeopardize the careers of good scholars
and mar the reputations of fellow students. By
involving Campus Watch‹a self-proclaimed watchdog of
criticism of Israel‹this small minority seeks to
intimidate members of our university community with
the label "anti-Semitic," often on the basis of
distorted or even false reports. It is vital to state
that the University investigated every allegation
against faculty, and exonerated them of all charges.
We hope to calm concerns resulting from the hysterical
outcries of this small minority of students: no
"climate" of anti-Semitism exists at the University of
Chicago. We will continue to promote an open dialogue
within an atmosphere of mutual respect. 

Students for peaceful coexistence The University of
Chicago 

Students for peaceful coexistence is a student
organization established at the University of Chicago

__________________________

Editor:

	In “Anti-Israel protests cover for anti-Semitism”
(10/10), John Leo makes a series of de-contextualized
charges.

	Leo claims that an ADL survey shows that 15% of
faculty members in higher education are anti-Semites.
That would translate into at least hundreds at the
University of Illinois. Would anyone like to name one
local faculty member who hates Jews simply for being
Jewish? Would any of the dozens of Jewish faculty
members on this campus—as well as Chancellor Cantor
and Provost Herman--like to explain why they passively
consent to work in an environment rife with
anti-Semitism without uttering a single word of
criticism or complaint? Of course not. Obviously, what
defines one as an anti-Semite, according to Leo and
the ADL, is criticism of Israel.

	Leo continues with a list of anti-Semitic actions
allegedly committed on college campuses. The first is
“a pig’s head left on the door of the Hillel building
at Indiana University.” In the October 11th
Indianapolis Star, a school official is quoted as
saying that such an incident “without a doubt never
occurred.” Other incidents cited by Leo may be true,
but are offered only on the basis of reports by Jewish
students, never verified by other sources, and never
accompanied by evidence supporting the implicit claim
that the perpetrators represent those who support the
cause of Palestinian rights. From the University of
Chicago comes the unelaborated assertion that “Jews
are being mistreated and intimidated on campus.”

	I do not doubt that there have been incidents that
arouse understandable fears of anti-Semitism. These
should be investigated and the perpetrators punished
by campus administrators as they would do in response
to any form of hate speech or vandalism. But the
larger reality is that Jewish students who vocally
support Israel are being made to feel uncomfortable
because the truth is not on their side, and their only
defense is to change the subject and attack the
persons speaking those truths. In doing so, some
Jewish students implicitly compare supporters of
Palestinian rights to Nazis. That can also fairly be
called “intimidation.”

_______________________________________

Editor:

     Brenda Tennill, a well-meaning Christian
American, (Letters, 11/16) has returned from Israel
with the news that Israelis “are not occupying any
land other than their own.” The land that she refers
to is the 22% of British mandatory Palestine that was
occupied by Israel after it initiated the 1967 war,
and has been occupied ever since in violation of
international laws implemented in the wake of the
Holocaust. Since at least 1988, the Palestinians who
live on this land and still outnumber Israeli settlers
by almost 10 to 1 have been demanding their own state
as a peaceful solution to this conflict. Since Israel
will not offer citizenship to these 3.6 million
people, exactly what does Ms. Tennil want them to do?

    One Israeli response in order to prevent such a
just two-state solution has been to mobilize tens of
millions of Christian evangelicals in this country,
who support the most extreme Old Testament Israeli
annexationists on the basis of the New Testament
prophecy that Jews must gather in Palestine to await
the Day of Judgment--at which time those who do not
convert to Christianity will be eternally condemned.
But Israeli leaders are more concerned with
strengthening both their grip on the occupied
territories and their relationships with warmongering
U.S. presidential advisors than with the prophetic
blather of either Christians or Jews—even when such
Christian attitudes are a throwback to classic
religious anti-Semitism. They cynically manipulate
those such as Ms. Tennill in order to achieve their
very earthly political ambitions. 

     Ms. Tennill is upset by Jews who “stand against
their own people” and have become “supporters of the
enemy.” But some of us have come to realize that with
friends like brutal Israeli occupiers and their
Christian supporters, who need enemies?



	
 


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