Progressive Jews who care about Israel and Palestine need to make our voices heard on campus
Too often, the rhetoric around Israel and Palestine on campus is polemical, rigid and one-sided. The advocates for each side generally do not think about the legitimate national rights of the other community. We throw facts at each other to demonstrate that the other side is wrong and does not have legitimacy. In this heated debate, many progressive Jews who do not see a contradiction in being pro-Israel and pro-Palestine have been silent. We are frustrated by both sides and are often mischaracterized by both. The pro-Palestinian side sees us as apologists for Israel while the pro-Israeli side tells us that we hate ourselves and that we are putting Israel in harm’s way. Though we may talk vaguely about the need for peace, we often do not speak out against the Occupation or the ways in which the Israeli government miss opportunities for peace because we see Israel under attack.
It is time for us to find our voice and stop being silent.
If anything has forced me to find my voice, it is the recent controversy around the Union of Progressive Zionists and the Israel on Campus Coalition. (more…)
Add comment January 30th, 2007 Posted by Chris