On-campus panels attack Israel (again)

Posted by Dr. Shlomo Aronson

Dr. Shlomo Aronson is a Schusterman Visiting Professor, University of Arizona, and the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise

The attached report is a letter written by an outraged listener following a panel discussion held at the University of Arizona by the Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies to that center's Director. The participants quoted here were Professor Charles Smith, a self styled "expert" on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian issue, who is known for missing command of both Hebrew and Arabic; Professor Leila Hudson, a Syrian by origin; and Asher Kaufman, an Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

My more pro-Israel colleagues and I were not invited to participate. As you read this account, by a student whose name has been withheld for protection, please be aware of the usage of this panel in an academic setting to advance personal opinion and political rhetoric - not academic papers supported by research. This method is a time-honored way for anti-Israel propagandists to spread their diatribes under the guise of academic freedom. It is not the only instance of this type of panel occurring during the recent defensive Israeli Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.

This letter continues to remain unanswered.

Read the rest of this post |

Comments (32)

Sunday Jan 25, 2009

Ill-equipped for the Israel/Palestine controversy

Posted by Dr. Mitchell Bard

To most American students, the Middle East is far away; it does not arouse their interest or passion. Nevertheless, the impact of Arab propaganda at these institutions cannot be minimized on the basis of the size of the available evidence. Dissenting activist minorities have weight and influence disproportionate to their size. Thus, Arab appeals which cater to the active left present a critical problem today. The Arabs have found a wave length.

Many Jewish students, startled by Arab attacks, are not equipped to enter into the controversy because they are not sufficiently versed in Middle East history to distinguish between truth and falsehood and to reply to the latter.

Read the rest of this post |

Comments (16)

About this blog

Classroom Battlegrounds Israeli scholars write about their experiences on year-long programs from university campuses across America.

Search this blog

All Categories

Recent Comments

Serge, Montreal: Bumble bee misgauges the motivations of young people. America's and France's treatment of certain ethnic minorities are, in fact, far worse than Israel's -- and yet young people in those countries continue to be motivated by social justice in a significant way, often indeed becoming engaged around precisely these minority issues. The same is true with respect to Israel.

Rami: Support for Israel is no longer a Jewish-only affair, its all about winning the hearts and minds of communities that have Jewish populations in them. One big turn-off is the fact that minority groups in Israel are sometimes not treated the same - What reaction would you expect from a young American Jew who barely has any interest in his roots, reading about, Ethiopian(Jews) children having a hard time trying to get an education IN Israel, yet some of his/her close friends are African-American?

bumble bee: Given how Israel treats its Arab minority and the Palestinians in the territories, how do you honestly appeal to young Jews in the name of social justice? Do you simply not mention minorities or the Palestinians in the territories? Or do you teach the young Jews that in Israel social justice issues are restricted to social justice for Jews alone?

Tags: