[Peace-discuss] Hillel responds to the apartheid wall
Robert Naiman
naiman.uiuc at gmail.com
Mon Apr 30 21:00:31 UTC 2012
Good theme for a letter to the DI.
On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 4:57 PM, Wendy Edwards <wayward710 at gmail.com> wrote:
> FWIW, I wrote a post in SP related to the SSPX boarding school in
> Vermilion County that was mentioned on the news. SSPX has been criticized
> by the ADL and Southern Poverty Law Center for anti-Semitism, and one of
> their bishops is infamous for Holocaust denial.
>
>
> http://www.smilepolitely.com/opinion/priest_suing_n-g_part_of_catholic_splinter_group/
>
> Maybe a stupid question, but why does Hillel not get more concerned about
> a guy like this indoctrinating kids than a wall built on campus for less
> than a week?
>
> Wendy
>
> On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 11:15 AM, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>wrote:
>
>> So at most (I assume) a couple of dozen SJP students manage to build a
>> wall in order to provide information about Israel's occupation of
>> Palestine, basically people with weapons against people without (military)
>> weapons. And against this is arrayed a couple of dozen
>> organizations--student, off campus Jewish, Israel Lobby, etc. (although I'm
>> not sure what sort of political position some of these organizations think
>> they are consenting to). And beyond that is included the "Jewish Studies
>> Program," presumably the Program for Jewish Culture and Society. This is a
>> real smoking gun. What is a campus program doing endorsing this political
>> program? There should be a huge, public stink about this, if nothing else.
>>
>> DG
>>
>> *From:* Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com>
>> *To:* Peace-discuss List <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>> *Sent:* Monday, April 30, 2012 9:33 AM
>> *Subject:* [Peace-discuss] Hillel responds to the apartheid wall
>> **
>> ****
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------**From: *Jeff Kaminsky - Illini
>> Hillel* <jeffreykaminsky at gmail.com>** Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 8:00 AM*
>> *Subject: Important Update on Recent Events at UIUC**To:
>> naiman.uiuc at gmail.com******
>> Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
>> <http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=kycig9n6&v=001BVV8sZmFHDS_ORuMYoK-prfWKKPTyZ2lVttPnHTRLJf2GOYRfZstzVc2qRD7WLtQGZK9mjJZyWjCd5m4UVO-qGG8w-nQGgkcoGFH-6BksxB1rsLwOqjjgOuYKTnJcFp-b1DQCa4GxvnS-3gDaHDcsAXtga8syIN16bShyYE3HmMvIwH3zgruRfmlYwVl8mmYC0ZBnLCUaUfn1ZCNuIQHC_kgNUH52V3-aCD54bZ30XlMcFfv1y8KrrskjKxbsAjFu5HYnaaxTeGF8MEUwEAddat5248CFr7C>
>> [image: Israeli flag]
>>
>> *Important update on recent events at UIUC*
>> Dear Robert
>>
>> As you have been and continue to be an important part of our Illini
>> Hillel community, we want to share the following update with you:
>>
>> For many years, our Illini Hillel, supported by JUF's Israel Education
>> Center (IEC), has celebrated Israel's independence through a week-long
>> series of events both on and off campus called Israel Week, marking
>> Israel's many achievements in its short history. This week of programming
>> is the pinnacle of the year's worth of Israel education at UIUC.
>>
>> [image: Apartheid wall 2012]This year, the week that preceded our
>> celebration was marked by a series of events organized by a Registered
>> Student Organization (RSO) called "SJP - Students for Justice in
>> Palestine," the local chapter of a national organization by the same name.
>> As part of a campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel, they built a
>> large wall in the middle of campus and organized events that tried to
>> establish a parallel between Israel's policies in the West Bank, and
>> South-African Apartheid. While the comparison is a blatant
>> misrepresentation, the truth is that the wall did attract attention from
>> our campus community.
>>
>> How Hillel and JUF's Israel Education Center responded:
>>
>> - We increased our Israel-related programming, organizing a
>> professors' panel about the crisis in Syria, a lunch session about the
>> Israeli myth of Masada and a candle vigil at the quad for the commemoration
>> of *Yom HaShoah*, which attracted more than 100 people. Altogether,
>> over 250 people attended the events organized by Hillel - many more than
>> the numbers SJP attracted to their three events;
>> - IEC Israel Interns and other Hillel students had their letters
>> published by the Daily Illini, the students newspaper (click here<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fXy7Eie3QkbX-Tx6g4Q00uE7uDPnBn9ts2y8KBxTv5GNUmFGBn-4WByVKgQ5D0z1LZYTb6WRezqZPmdo-zNPrEELvxUlsCF0I2UDL82eNRoSRbSGS8XwXjQ7tPoXAoDVGoMu4WeiN_s=>to read them);
>> - We organized our events in cooperation with other student
>> organizations, such as Interfaith in Action, College Democrats, Illini
>> Conservative Union, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Amnesty International -
>> focusing our efforts on helping people develop a deeper understanding of
>> the conflicts in the Middle East, and of the potential effects of
>> anti-Semitism;
>> - We are working with University officials to understand how the
>> wall, a semi-permanent structure, was allowed to be built and remain in the
>> quad for five days.
>>
>> We have been strategic about our response, avoiding actions that would
>> only bring more attention to the aggressive message put out by SJP and
>> other Israel detractors. We have also been strategic in placing more
>> emphasis on our positive Israel programming than in reacting to
>> provocations.
>>
>> This past Friday we finished the celebration of Israel Week that was led
>> and planned by Hillel and the Israel Illini RSO. During this week....
>>
>> - We tabled on the quad and interacted with over 2,000 students and
>> faculty; we had a number of RSOs tabling with us on campus including: AEPi,
>> AEPhi, SDT, ZBT, Students for Environmental Concerns, AISC, Tamid,
>> KravMaga, Israel Illini and the Illini Conservative Union.
>> - Our *Yom HaZikaron* ceremony was attended by over 100 students and
>> community members who came together to remember Israel's fallen soldiers;[image:
>> Israel on the Quad 2012]
>> - We celebrated *Yom HaAtzmaut* all day long - starting with a
>> communal event at Sinai Temple, continuing with a party throughout the
>> night and ending with a barbecue party on the deck of the Cohen Center. A
>> total of 500 people attended the *Yom Haatzmaut* Events;
>> - We partnered with the Israeli community in Champaign-Urbana and
>> welcomed them for a significant part of our celebrations;
>> - We had a special Israel-themed Shabbat dinner, attended by over 120
>> students;
>> - We strengthened our partnership with organizations on and
>> off-campus, co-sponsoring events with, among others, AISC, TAMID, ZBT, SDT,
>> AEPi, AEPhi, Students for Environmental Concerns, Environmental Brigades,
>> Illinois Dance Department, African Cultural Association, the Jewish Studies
>> Program, Sinai Temple, and the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation.
>>
>> We are extremely proud of Hillel's Israel programming at the University
>> of Illinois. Our students are engaged and are knowledgeable about the
>> issues at stake; we are building partnerships and educating the broader
>> campus community; and we celebrate a positive agenda for Israel all year
>> long! When Israel's detractors come to campus with the aim of denying
>> Israel's right to exist, we respond in a strategic and effective way.
>>
>> [image: Donate button]<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fXy7Eie3QkY6ZYvrrvmPybCHRAnmDHSR615QWDwF8PZP_t_gPQwIF-JoRierO3ca8Kguz5mshpQ-qSir0fdLWb7PRWdvfnIBTGZXRUId7S1-ea8SWYuOyCHMyZuv0hyZ01Ba4HZNGXt1Re1W3-w6dw==>
>> We are able to do all this because of the generous support of community
>> members like you. Your gifts help provide our students with a safe place to
>> learn about Israel, and the tools to educate others.
>>
>> We appreciate your support and care. Please let us know if you have any
>> more questions.
>>
>>
>> Jeffrey Kaminsky
>> Chairman of the Governing Board
>>
>> Rabbi Rogério Z. Cukierman
>> Executive Director
>>
>> Erez Cohen
>> Israel Fellow
>>
>>
>> *Many people have asked how they can help and what they can do. *
>> *Support us financially so that we can continue the work all year round.
>> *
>> To make a contribution, please click here<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001fXy7Eie3QkY6ZYvrrvmPybCHRAnmDHSR615QWDwF8PZP_t_gPQwIF-JoRierO3ca8Kguz5mshpQ-qSir0fdLWb7PRWdvfnIBTGZXRUId7S1-ea8SWYuOyCHMyZuv0hyZ01Ba4HZNGXt1Re1W3-w6dw==>
>> .* *
>> *
>> *
>>
>> [image: Hillel - Israel logo]
>> Cohen Center for Jewish Life**
>>
>> Hillel at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign**
>>
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>> ****
>> **
>> -- **Robert Naiman**Policy Director**Just Foreign Policy**
>> www.justforeignpolicy.org**naiman at justforeignpolicy.org**
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>
--
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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