Background: During my years at Berkeley the campus environment was already problematic. Since then it has gotten much more so. The past few years have been "interesting". Last week, things came to a head.
MESSAGE FROM THE ZIONIST STUDENTS AT U.C. BERKELEY
Reproduced here as a courtesy. This blogger both sympathizes with them and admires their courageous stand, especially in the face of apathy and hatred - anti-Semitism is endemic among the university population in Berkeley, and virtually institutionalized.
Tikvah: victim of double standard at U.C.
By John E. Moghtader & Elodie Resseguie
Long a hotbed of anti-Israel activity, U.C. Berkeley has barely had a strong pro-Israel presence on campus. Until now, with Tikvah: Students for Israel, the Zionist student group at U.C. Berkeley.
We are the group that stepped up to protest when academics John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt visited Cal in October 2007 to hawk their book, a nefarious smear job titled "The Jewish Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy."
We were also there last month when the virulently anti-Israel academic Norman Finkelstein came to speak.
Before the lecture, we respectfully distributed our literature outside. Once inside, Finkelstein’s level of anti-Semitic vitriol prompted a walkout of Tikvah students and others not associated with our group. We shouted out our opinions while exiting, as the crowd hurled expletives at us. Finkelstein and his colleague then continued delivering their insulting lies.
As a result, the dean of students is now seeking to discipline Tikvah and individual students for an "offense" which in the past barely warranted mention when undertaken by student groups involved in anti-Israel activities.
For example, when Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes tried to speak on campus several years ago, he was shouted down by members of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Student Association. At the time the chancellor said, "Uncivil behavior, lamentable as it is, is not a crime, nor is it a violation of the Code of Student Conduct." No disciplinary action was taken against SJP or its members for that incident, nor when Nonie Darwish was likewise shouted down a year ago.
Only last week, SJP disrupted an innovative Zionist hip-hop concert on campus. Even though no Jewish students were involved in the physical altercation that ensued (contrary to what was reported in the school paper and what SJP claims), we wait to see how the university will deal with the assailants from SJP.
Other violations by SJP of the U.C. code of conduct — such as blocking of pedestrian traffic with demonstrations, the brandishing of fake firearms, physical harassment and intimidation of Jewish students — were presented to the dean of students but have been ignored.
What we see here is a double standard, one for the rest of campus and another for the Jews and those who actively support Israel.
Our tax dollars support the U.C. system, and Jewish donors are very prominent in supporting the U.C. campuses. It’s time for the Jewish community to become aware of what is happening at our university.
Meanwhile, Tikvah has a consistent record of positive, pro-Israel programming on campus. Until our inception a year ago, there was no substantive pro-Israel voice on campus. We changed that, attracting students of various religious and cultural backgrounds to our cause. We have collaborated with many off-campus groups, including the Israeli Consulate, Israel Peace Initiative, S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council, U.C. Berkeley Chabad, CAMERA, StandWithUs, JIMENA and more. Once again Jews walk with pride across Sproul Plaza.
We have also sponsored many successful events. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we took out ads in the student newspaper highlighting the civil rights leader’s strong support of the Jewish state. We have hosted lectures by Dennis Prager, Stanley Urman, Israeli Vice Consul Ishmael Khaldi (who spoke about being the highest-ranking Muslim in the Israeli foreign service) and others.
Last year we held two weeklong programs brimming with pro-Israel activities: Israel Peace and Diversity Week and Israel@60 Week (which included a widely attended on-campus Holocaust memorial on Yom HaShoah). We just finished our latest effort, Israel Liberation Week, and we have also been a positive influence on student government, with John Moghtader, a current senator in the Associated Students of the University of California, leading our group.
Regarding the Jewish Student Union and Berkeley Hillel, we must clarify misstatements that ran in j. Even though Tikvah is the largest and most active Jewish student group on campus, we have been allocated precisely zero dollars from the JSU this school year.
While the JSU and Berkeley Hillel remain silent, we are the ones on Sproul Plaza and around campus protesting the Finkelsteins of the world, educating students about Israel, organizing rallies and holding Holocaust memorials.
We were dumbfounded to find that Hillel is presuming to play some role in all this, as Tikvah has never been affiliated with Berkeley Hillel, nor have we ever received funds from them for any of our activities.
We are a grassroots student group. Our goal is to make sure Jewish students do not have to be subjected to a hostile anti-Israel, anti-Semitic environment on campus. That’s our bottom line.
John E. Moghtader, a third-year undergraduate at U.C. Berkeley, is an Associated Students of the University of California senator and president of Tikvah.
Elodie Resseguie is a fourth-year undergraduate at U.C. Berkeley and is on the Tikvah executive board. To learn more about Tikvah, e-mail tikvahsfi@gmail.com or visit tikvahsfi.blogspot.com.
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NOTE: This blogger frankly admits bias. My sentiments are pro-Israel, and necessarily negative about the Arab cause. However, if a member of the other side wishes to write a rational, well-balanced counterpoint, I will be more than willing to post it. Just bear in mind that it is my blog, and therefore my standards that need to be met.
Something eloquent, even if I think it utter balderdash, will slip in on appreciation alone.
I can always add comment below it disagreeing with what whatever you write. But I like eloquence. And chutzpah.
That said, the Arab and Filistinist side do at times make good points, and I do not wish to see comments utterly damning them or painting them as all black. Please reserve that for their simple-minded and depraved supporters.
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Friday November 21st., 2008 - 1:48 PM Pacific Standard Time
ADDENDUM: The message above by John E. Moghtader and Elodie Resseguie has now been cross-posted over at Jameel's place The Muqata.
Please see this post: TIKVAH STUDENTS AT U.C. BERKELEY
Please give Tikvah your attention and support, go visit their site, and blogroll it. Thank you.
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You won't hear any negative comments about Arabs from me. Some of my best friends are Arabs. Or Pakistanis.
---Grant Patel
I love Arabs nearly as much as wombats. Or penguins.
---Grant Patel
Really, I cannot say enough about them. They and the Pakis excite me. Immensely.
Too much.
I gaily wave my dhoti at them. And my chaplis.
---Grant Patel
Every day this week, people from the community have been coming to UC Berkeley to stand with Tikvah in support and Solidarity.
For the first time in years, there is a pro-Israel presence on campus-it is wonderful to see.
I look forward to the day when we all proudly and publically stand and support the only liberal democracy in the middle east.
"In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends"
Dr. Martin Luther King
Now is not the time for silence
I've posted it too.
I'll bet you have, little girl. I'll bet you have.
Max Power
Tikvah, your bottom line is also my bottom line. Keep on doing the good work.
Blogmaster, do you want me to see the good side of Arabs? NOT!!! I hear this plea again and again. But as long as the majority of them does not accept Jews without conditions (being the underdog)I refuse to look for that good side.
This is making its way around the J blogsphere- thats a good thing. Only publicity and cuts to their donations will cause Hillel to change- National Hillel needs to notice what is happening at UC Berkeley and they need to instigate change
The Tikvah article was also posted at
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2008/11/trials-of-pro-israel-student-group.html
the Mearsheimer and Walt book is called "the Israel Lobby", not "the Jewish Lobby", and this is no coincidence. On page 115 it says that " 'Jewish Lobby' is not an appropriate term for describing the various individuals and groups that work to foster US support for Israel", because "many American Jews who care a lot about Israel do not support the policies endorsed by the major organizations in the lobby, just as many gun owners do not supprt every policy of the NRA [...] some of the individuals and groups that are especially vocal [...] are not Jewish". The lobby consists of organizations that want unconditional support for the current policies of the Israeli government, something many Israelis and many Aamerican Jews disagree with. Is it anti-semitic to point out an organization like AIPAC actually exists and attempts to influence American foreign policy?
it would be very easy to find out the correct name of the book, but I find this (intentional or unintentional) mistake typical of Tikvah's worldview. There are "the Jews" (i.e. Tikvah members) and "the anti-semites" (anyone who disagrees with them), just as in GW Bush's speeches there are only the US and the "Axis of Evil". Good guys and bad guys: no nuances, no differences, no legitimate and illegitimate criticism of Israel. Everything is very conveniently laid out for those with no interest in the complexities of the real world.
It isn't the "Jewish" lobby- because many (most) of the supporters of Israel aren't Jewish.
Israels wide range of support stems from the fact it is a strong liberal democracy and our only true ally in the Middle East.
When Americans are surveyed about what nations they feel closest to- England, Canada and Israel are the ones most frequently mentioned.
Jews are only 2% of the population of America- Israel's support is not simple among Jews, but among all who cherish freedom of speech, freedom of press, and other liberal values.
But this has nothiong to do with the posted article
BTW, you are wrong about UC Berkeley's Tikvah- I was speaking to one of the Tikvah board- he told me he wrote his thesis on the difficulties the Ethiopian community has faced in Israel. No where do you find more vocal criticism of Israel than among those who love her.
In my years as an activist I've discovered that all anti-Semites are anti-Zionist- and that most anti-zionists are anti-Semites.
The two exceptions I'd make are:
1. Religious Jews that are morally opposed to a Jewish state in before the messianic era
2. True anarchists that are opposed to all states, not just a Jewish state. (There are very few true anarchists around- I'll give you a hint- if they oppose a Jewish state but are in favor of a Palestinian state- they aren't a true anarchist)
Can you think of other exceptions?
If you believe that all people have the right to self determination EXCEPT the Jewish people, how can that not be anti-Semitism?
"If you believe that all people have the right to self determination EXCEPT the Jewish people, how can that not be anti-Semitism?"
before WWII, most Jews in the world weren't Zionists. Was this because the majority of world Jewry, millions and millions of Jews, was all anti-semitic?
Zionism isn't the abstract idea that Jews have the right for self determination. It (in practice) has meant the establishment of a Jewish majority and Jewish sovereignty in a specific country, which originally had a non-Jewish majority. One way or the other, it required forcibly turning those who weren't Jewish into a minority and subjugating them to a sovereignty that by definition sees them as unequal. Some of us sincerely believe this was inherently problematic, and that we need to think of a different future, where the Jewish and Israeli right for self-determination won't be accomplished by oppressing other people. Israeli and Jewish rights could be protected and preserved within a binational state.
Try talking sometimes to Palestinian citizens of Israel about their experiences within the Jewish state that was imposed on them. You'll rarely find people who are happy or proud to be Israeli. It doesn't have to be that way - we could figure out an arrangement where they would be granted truly equal rights.
"BTW, you are wrong about UC Berkeley's Tikvah- I was speaking to one of the Tikvah board- he told me he wrote his thesis on the difficulties the Ethiopian community has faced in Israel. No where do you find more vocal criticism of Israel than among those who love her".
I once talked to member of the Israeli Aaction Committee, and she told me she was only willing to criticize Israel in front of other Jews, and as long as no one found out. There is nothing "vocal" about that kind of misguided attitude. Show me one example of any public criticism a Tikvah member has made.
(I don't believe in criticism for the sake of criticism, but an environment where there can be no open deviance from the party line is very stifling).
Arabs?
Arabs?
naturally Arabs have a good side.....
ask any camel, does any other national or racial group of humans care for camels as much as Arabs do?
Happy hump day 2 all of U!
Graham
before WWII, most Jews in the world weren't Zionists. Was this because the majority of world Jewry, millions and millions of Jews, was all anti-semitic?
Ah- but if you asked the Jews before WWII is they finished their seders with "Next year in Jerusalem"- I'd bet most of them did. And if you asked them if they broke a glass at their wedding, I bet most of them did.
Jews have always looked to return to Zion. Most synagogues are oriented to face east. This is so much a part of Jewish culture, of Jewish heritage.
If I forget thee oh Jerusalem....
"Israeli and Jewish rights could be protected and preserved within a binational state."
Now you sound like a typical arrogant American imposing your American values on the world. Jewish rights were preserved in germany in the 1930's until that one regime change.....
The Arab world has no desire to live with Israelis in a secular democractic state. They want to live in a state governed by Sharia law. The rights of the Jews under Sharia law would be those of Jim Crow or dhimi status. The Jews want to be a free people in their own land. Let the Palestinians also be a free peopel in their own land, too. In a few generations maybe they can consider joining together- I think its a terrible idea until I can see a willingness to for them to live in peace as neighbors, first
Lemuel-
Since when did you start `telling "Not" jokes?
One state solution= th Rwanda solution: your neighbors kill you as you sleep.
Has a binational stat6e EVER worked?
Maybe in Canada, and even thats not working so well.
Not a single Palestinian leader has ever said "We want to live with our Jewish brothers in peace, in a single democractic state."
In fact, in Gaza, they didn't even want to live with dead Jews- they asked that he cemetaries be dug up during disengagement.
No, there is no hope for a single state.
Certainly the idea of living with potential Muslim mobs does not appeal to me - but then, they are a minority in India, and consequently perhaps better behaved. Too inclined to riot, though.
So, great food, great caligraphy, great architecture. But still inclined towards howling savagery.
As their behaviour in Hebron in 1929, during the Jerusalem and Acre riots, and subsequently since then more than amply demonstrates.
---Grant Patel
I wonder if the Greeks still want Constantinople back?
Of course they do! It is only the Western branches of Christianity that have relinquished that claim. How treacherous of them. And how liberal.
---Grant Patel
BTW- teh reason AIPAC is strong is that AIPAC reflects American values:
A poll of US voters conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research has shown that 72 percent of voting Americans across the political spectrum believe "even with all the problems that America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons."
American voters are clear about what they expect from their new president. They worry about the economy, war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the success of the war on terror. At the same time, they support Israel but do not want the US to interfere in the Jewish state's affairs:
Which of the following should be the top foreign policy priority for the next president? Is it...
57% Ending the war in Iraq
42% Defeating Al Qaeda and the Taliban
42% Restoring global economic growth
19% Bringing peace between Israel and the Palestinians
16% Dealing with the instability of Pakistan
11% Meeting the threat of Putin's Russia
Now, on another subject... Thinking about the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in the Middle East, please tell me whether, in general, you consider yourself to be...
32% a strong supporter of Israel
25% a supporter of Israel
05% a supporter of the Palestinians
01% a strong supporter of the Palestinians
57% - SUPPORT ISRAEL; 06% - SUPPORT PALESTINIANS
Bambi Swallows
(There are very few true anarchists around- I'll give you a hint- if they oppose a Jewish state but are in favor of a Palestinian state- they aren't a true anarchist)
Since there is no Palestinian State, (Thank G-d), anarchists are in favor it -- including Gaza.
Besides, Hamas Gazans are so insane, the anarchists like them since Gaza is all about anarchy...
"Show me one example of any public criticism a Tikvah member has made."
If you had attended Tikvah's talk on morality in Israel last Tuesday, you would have heard scathing criticism of Israel.
Just because YOU haven't heard it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
But it goes both ways.
Lets look at SJP for a minute. When have you every heard SJP criticism anything about the Palestinians or their government?
You'd think Yaman might be sensitive to the way queers are treated in Gaza- but there's not a word from him or any one else. Not a word about the presecution of Christians or ethnic minorities.
Not a word about 1/3 of the deaths in Gaza being honor killings.
Yeah, it goes both ways.
But in Israel, criticizing the government isn't going to get you shot as a collaborator.
And, speaking of fine Muslim behaviour, terrorist strikes in Bombay today. Gunfire in Colaba and Nariman point (heavily Parsee areas), grenades at the Oberoi and Taj hotesl, and machine gun volleys at Chhatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus).
Damn Muslims. There is NO living with them. Homicidal and pathologically inclined towards violence and intolerance.
Did I mention that Colaba and Nariman point are Parsee areas?
Was it not enough to make Iran inhospitable?
Damn Muslims.
---Grant Patel
Ninety percent of all bullshit in the known universe, and eighty percent of all intolerance, originates within fifty miles of any concentration of Islamites.
---Grant Patel
Over twenty five dead sofar. Bugger the blasted bollocky buggery Muslims.
Nuke Pakistan, and do the world a favor. The blasted Pakis are responsible for funding the jihad.
---Grant Patel
Pakistani log kulluhum bhainchote aur bakrichote hai. Soor ka bacche, haramzade, aur ulu ka laure. And, generally speaking, fuckers.
---Grant Patel
From the BBC:
A group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the shootings.
Commandos have surrounded two hotels, the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi, where gunmen are reported to be holding dozens of hostages.
A fire is said to be spreading through the Taj Mahal hotel.
The gunmen were looking for people with British or US passports.
The head of Mumbai's anti-terrorism unit is among those killed.
A splendid example of living together in peace in a democratic state.
Not very inclined towards non-threatening co-existence, those Muslims, eh?
" In one of the most violent terror attacks on Indian soil, Mumbai came under an unprecedented night attack as terrorists used heavy machine guns, including AK-47s, and grenades to strike at the city's most high-profile targets -- the hyper-busy CST (formerly VT) rail terminus; the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the luxury Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point; the domestic airport at Santa Cruz; the Cama and GT hospitals near CST; the Metro Adlabs multiplex and Mazgaon Dockyard -- killing at least 80 and sending more than 900 to hospital. "
From the Times OF India
Silly Tikvah, no one agrees with your stupid and racist beliefs.
Innovative hip hop? That concert was a PATHETIC excuse for hip-hop, as anyone who passed by could plainly see.
I would also like to add that your racist rhetoric speaks for itself, and it's sort of disgusting that all of a sudden you're toning down your words. Where are those posters you hang up all the time on your table about Arabs and Muslims being inherently barbaric and misogynistic?
Why don't you stand up for your real beliefs now that you're in the spotlight? Why did John Moghtader solemnly swear that he is committed to advocating for Palestinian rights in front of almost a hundred people at a senate meeting? Sounds like if Moghtader should be joining SJP right about now...
It's pretty clear: you're a group of unprincipled, sad and frustrated kids who don't actually have any understanding of the situations and people you claim to represent.
Your articles are intentionally libelous and misleading, and your attempts are simply a disgrace to discerning and intelligent people, so please stop with this bullshit and just apologize to the community you have violently attacked on multiple occasions.
Oh, and hey, if you're so enthusiastic about your presence at the Finklestein event, why don't you link this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNkFwb4MS6Q
and let people decide who was "hurling expletives". Sad, sad, sad. Didn't you publicly announce that saying "from the river to the sea" was a violent statement? Either you are hypocrites (which you are) or you advocate violence (which you do) so please cool down and get a new hobby.
sincerely signed,
One more student tired of your bullshit
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