[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [USC Midwest Region] summary of Omar Barghouti event

[Brussel Morton K.]

FYI.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: kushn002 at umn.edu
> Date: November 5, 2009 3:50:08 PM CST
> To: uscampaign 
> +_midwest_regional_list-63636 at lists.democracyinaction.org
> Subject: [USC Midwest Region] summary of Omar Barghouti event
> Reply-To: kushn002 at umn.edu
>
>
> Last night, Omar Barghouti, a leader of the Palestinian Campaign for
>  the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel had a speaking event in
>  our community - at the University of Minnesota.  I think there a
>  couple of points worth sharing about the event.   He made a
>  strong presentation and especially knew exactly to answer
>  many unfriendly questions and arguments.
>
>  I thought the biggest point of interest was the large number of
>  pro-Israel attendees.  We hardly ever get opponents to our events -
>  their usual appoach is to pretend we don't exist.  This time there  
> was
>  a large mix of student-age and older Israel supporters.  Even the
>  director of the local JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council) was
>  standing in the back monitoring the speech.  A principal organizer of
>  the event, a professor with a group called Teachers Against the
>  Occupation, told me that he received emails from lobbyists in DC
>  objecting to the event.  This all indicates that the organized Israel
>  groups are really worried about the BDS movement spreading on  
> campuses
>  and feel a need to actively counter it.  >From our perspective, we  
> need
>  confrontations with pro-Israel forces because that is how we will  
> draw
>  the attention of the larger community and have a chance to raise
>  consciousness and build our movement.  Furthermore, if last night was
>  any indication, our campus opponents' arguments are really weak (to
>  put it charitably).    What has been others' experience?
>
>  This suggests that campus organizing really needs to be a focus.   
> This
>  includes speakers sponsored by academic groups, campaigns for
>  divestment and boycott targets within the universities and colleges,
>  and engaging the campuses in larger campaigns.  Would be interested  
> in
>  whether there have been similar experiences in other places and ideas
>  for increasing the level of this sort of work.
>
> Jordan S. Kushner
> Minneapolis, MN
>

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