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UC Berkeley: Stop Acting So Surprised
by eli aka gyp the blud
 News is slowly oozing about UC Berkeley’s student government endorsing
divestment from companies that do business with the Israeli
military-industrial complex. It is not particularly surprising, considering that much of the
UC-Berkeley student body tends to gravitate towards a type of
fashionably left-wing groupthink. Unfortunately, the vague sense here that militant Jewish nationalism broadly defined is more
immoral than any other kind of militant nationalism, creates for Jewish
students an atmosphere of hostility, disrespect, and at times, outright
mockery. My fingers and toes are insufficient to count the amount of
times I’ve been subjected to expletives and sarcastic remarks. For those involved in divestment at Berkeley, I petition you to simply
move to Israel/Palestine, and see for yourself what types of emotional,
intellectual, religious and moral permutations take place in a land of
hatred and indescribable beauty. I think, then, that creating the
atmosphere you’ve created here will seem rather childish. (Jewschool)
Boston: JNF Alternative Spring Break: Israel!
by Leia Poritz
  Over spring break, I, along with four other Boston University participants, had the privilege of going on the Jewish National Fund (JNF)’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) to Israel. Over the course of the week, our bus of 45 people ages 18 to 30 spent
hours of work in the 90-degree heat each day helping to fulfill Ben
Gurion’s dream. Each of us came out of this trip with a greater respect and
understanding for the land of Israel. We all put down our mark on the
land and learned a lot from our experience. This is an experience that
will be with each of us for the rest of our lives. That is what makes
this trip priceless. (BU Quad)
Concordia: End Israeli Apartheid Weeks. Students Must Regain Control of Their Campuses
by Marian Pinsky
 IAW has grown in scope, particularly after the recent events in
Gaza. Aligning itself with student groups ranging from indigenous
advocacy to social justice alternatives, IAW has alienated Jewish
students and those wishing for a balanced portrayal of relevant facts.
Invoking the specter of Apartheid, flaunting accusations of racism and
colonialism, using and abusing the rhetoric of human rights,
attributing one-sided blame for the problems affecting the
Palestinians, and effectively closing down any endeavors for dialogue
or discussion, characterize this week dedicated to delegitimizing
Israel. Universities have degenerated into sites of contentious
debate and venues from which to promote political agendas. Double
standards abound. Far from being a issue restricted to the Jewish community, this should
concern anyone valuing a balanced presentation of the facts and a true
commitment to freedom and justice for all. (The Suburban -- Canada)
Emory: The Faulty Language of Israel’s (Rhetorical) Enemies
by Mathew Rotenberg
 Is Emory’s “Apartheid Week” really here again so soon? Like other derogatory terms that rely on their ability to appeal to
people’s emotions, using the word “apartheid” to describe the situation
in Israel is factually inaccurate. This attack on Israel is also curious considering the rampant
political, religious and gender-based oppression that exists in the
Palestinian territories. Palestinian officials make no effort to
protect women from domestic violence, homosexuals are often tortured,
beaten and killed and the Christian minority in the West Bank has been
persecuted for decades. Moreover, it is interesting that these students choose to target Israel
when Palestinians suffer far greater legal discrimination at the hands
of Muslim “Brothers” in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. (Emory Wheel)
Iowa: The Zionism of Martin Luther King, Jr.
by Yitzchok Adlerstein
  Putting words into the mouth of someone decades after his death is a
safe method of avoiding opposition. Who is going to protest? UI
Professor Patrick Hitchon may have chosen the wrong voice from the past
when he attempted to recruit Martin Luther King Jr. for the Palestinian
cause. In his case, his record still speaks eloquently and unmistakably.
King, like so many other trailblazing black leaders, was a
true-believing Zionist with roots in the long mutual history of Zionism. (Daily Iowan)
See also Use of King’s Words Misguided by Clarence Jones
Patrick Hitchon stated in his Feb. 9 column that “what applied in 1963 in the United States applies to the current situation in Palestine.” Really? From 1960 to April 4, 1968, I was privileged to
work with Martin Luther King Jr. as a political adviser, his lawyer,
and draft speechwriter. Hitchon pimps and corrupts the language and precepts expressed by King
in his “I Have A Dream” speech when he cites it as an authentic source
for his criticism of Israel’s conduct toward people living in the
Palestinian territories. (Daily Iowan)
Jewish Groups Seek Protection for Jewish Students
 The Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish organizations have written to Arne Duncan,
the secretary of education, urging him to assure that the Office for
Civil Rights protects Jewish students from harassment or intimidation
based on their ethnicity or religion. A statement from the ADL said: "ADL
has significant concerns about harassment and intimidation of Jewish
students on college campuses – including in the context of heated
debate over Israel. We believe the Department of Education should use
its civil rights enforcement power to investigate and remedy serious
incidents in which Jewish students are threatened, harassed, or
intimidated to the point where their college experience is impaired." (Inside Higher Ed)
What About The Arab Apartheid?
by Khaled Abu Toameh
 How come the Lebanese students who recently talked about Israel's "war
crimes" in the Gaza Strip during Israel Apartheid Week had nothing to say about the fact that tens
of thousands of Palestinians have been massacred in Lebanon over the
past four decades? Who has ever heard of a United Nations resolution condemning Syria or
Lebanon for committing horrific atrocities or discriminating against
the Palestinians? And where was the United Nations when Kuwait and several Gulf countries expelled more than 400,000 Palestinians in one week in March 1991? Ironically, the Arab citizens of Israel enjoy more rights in the Jewish
state than their Palestinians brothers do in any Arab country. We have heard enough how "awful" Israel is. Let us take a look now at
what is happening to the Palestinians in the Arab world. Or is
it something the organizers of Israel Apartheid Week do not want to hear
about? (Hudson New York)
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Brown: Divestment Will Not Bring Rapprochement
by Hunter Fast
 A large-scale implementation of the BDS (boycotts, divestments and sanctions) strategy is likely to
have disastrous economic consequences for Israelis and Palestinians
alike. Despite the BDS strategy’s flaws, action must be taken to ensure that
Brown’s investments are structured to promote peace. Instead of
single-mindedly punishing Israel, Brown should invest itself in a way
that fosters economic interdependence between Israelis and
Palestinians, thus making the cost of war too large to
justify. Brown can make an effort to purchase more Israeli goods. The role of
such an effort in the promotion of peace may seem counter-intuitive,
but by encouraging growth in the Israeli export sector, and thus its
demand for labor, the economic cost of enforcing the West Bank
separation barrier and the blockade of Gaza will increase. (Daily Herald)
Columbia: A Beginner's Guide to Israel Apartheid Week
by Jon Hollander
 The apartheid label is not compatible with the desire for a
two-state solution, but rather with the destruction of the Jewish State
of Israel, and the creation of a single state in the territory formerly
composing the British Mandate of Palestine. Aside from the fact that
such a plan would undoubtedly lead to horrific levels of civil strife
and bloodshed (think of the hypothetical consequences of uniting India
and Pakistan as a means of solving that conflict), it also runs counter
to the expressed wishes of both Israelis and Palestinians for separate,
independent states.
Thinking about Israeli Apartheid Week in a critical fashion, it is
clear that its proponents are little more than extremists seeking to
demonize the State of Israel. In no way is the apartheid label apt
unless you take the view that Israelis and Palestinians should be part
of a single state, which violates the right to self-determination of
both groups. (Columbia Spectator)
Princeton: How to Think about ‘Israel Apartheid Week’
by Prof. Daniel Kurtzer
  While I do not challenge the right of people to exercise their free
speech or academic freedom to express their views about Israel, I
believe the “Apartheid Week” activists have gotten it wrong. Israel is
not an apartheid state and does not deserve to be labeled or treated as
such. As an American diplomat and now as a university professor, I have often
been critical of Israeli policies and practices, especially in the
occupied territories. But these criticisms of Israeli policies in the West Bank or Gaza are a
very far cry from a sweeping indictment of Israel, an indictment which
has become part of a broader, highly politicized effort to delegitimize
the state itself. The State of Israel ranks high among the community of
democracies, with protections for human and civil rights. The writer is visiting Professor of Middle East Policy Studies at the Wilson School. He served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel.
West Virginia: Debate over Student Government Support for Israel
by Joshua Gotay
 How many West Virginia University students are familiar with the
resolution passed by Student Government Association affirming support
for the state of Israel? WVU is currently one of the most diverse universities in the United
States, with students who hail from every state and 99 countries. Currently Israel functions as a parliamentary democracy. The
strength of the relationship between American and Israeli governments
has never been at question. Neither has the fact that Israel serves as a model democracy, operating under the highest standards of the rule of law. And of course, it should not be overlooked that Israel has significantly contributed to the global economy in a variety of ways. However, when the issue of supporting a two-state solution arises
within the student body government at WVU, it is not to their benefit
to choose a side. (Daily Athenaeum)
'Apartheid Week' a Semantic Sideshow
by Martin Regg Cohn
The real issue with Israeli Apartheid Week is not so much that it's
argumentative or provocative or intellectually dishonest. What makes it
so contentious is that it is, transparently, a branding exercise.
It used to be called propaganda, but that is so 1940s. Why not, for example, call it Israeli Racism Week? Ah, that would be
too close to that discredited slogan, "Zionism is racism," which is so
1970s – and has long since been repudiated by the United Nations. It's
too tired, too tainted, too toxic. Apartheid has richer
marketing possibilities. It's a bolder brand. No matter that Israel
isn't South Africa, it allows university students to feel like they
didn't miss out on the great moral cause of our time – apartheid –
while their elders get to relive the good old days of fighting the bad
old ways. (The Star -- Canada)
Maybe You Should Let Your Kid Take That Year Abroad After All
by Gary Drevitch
 Is an "educational" year abroad before college basically, a 12-month
carnival of loafing, tanning, and drunken debauchery? Sometimes,
your kids go abroad, get involved in a cause bigger than themselves,
and actually come home as better people. Case in point: 52 high-school grads taking part in a year of study in Israel have launched Garin Tzedek
(Hebrew for "Seed of Justice"), a group supporting refugees of the
genocide in Sudan's Darfur region who have taken shelter in the
country. The teens, most of them alumni of Young Judaea
summer camps, are
students in Young Judaea's post-high-school "Year Course." Since the
fall, they have renovated and manned day care centers for the refugees;
taught them introductory English; worked to secure medical and legal
services for them; increased awareness about their plight; and raised
more than $1,600 for supplies and educational materials. (Parentdish)
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