I have no pics, but that is the number of ethical, good, well-raised young Jewish women who were pushed into the anti-Israel movement tonight by the vaccuum that exists in the Jewish community’s ability to explain the Middle East conflict effectively. I’m not talking about hasbara or propaganda here. I’m talking about creating a network of information so that the scummy liars who prey on those who are well meaning but don’t know the facts, would have a much more difficult time in taking what is white and making it sound grey and dingy.

As Prof. Arbiser wrote:

“As a campus professor, my insight is that pro-Israel advocates don’t have much to work with. The average Jewish student knows more about Pokemon than Passover and more about Usher than Maimonides.

They are confronted by a motley alliance of Palestinian activists, divestment activists, anti-Israeli faculty (many of them Jewish), “peace” advocates and anti-globalists. This alliance blames the Jewish student for the lack of peace in the world, which could be accomplished if only Jews gave up their stubborn insistence on a Jewish state. Most people, Jews included, just want to fit in, and thus become embarrassed by Israel.”

I witnessed this tonight first hand. I witnessed it taking place in an atmosphere where Israel’s very existence seemed sinful and its inhabitants depicted as monsters. Needless to say, its enemies were not discussed, or, when brought up briefly, seemed to be these innocuous and innocent entities. These young women ate it up. Let the brainwashing begin…

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themiddle

15 Comments

  • A link would identify what I’d rather not identify. Laya, my point is that this guy is so on-target that even within a day of posting the other post, I come across precisely what he’s talking about. This is one of the most critical problems the Jewish community faces – not just Israel, although this should be a cause of concern for Israel as well – and we are doing little about it.

    By the way, one of the girls was affiliated with the campus Hillel and another was affiliated with Chabad.

  • First, I think the piece needs a touch of re-writing: it is the “inability” and not the “ability” that is the problem.
    2. 4 young kids do not a huge movement make. Let us be fair: Jews in America, when young especially, will more often than not be left-leaning…and in so doing, they join with many to the Left who blame Israel for theproblems of the Middle East.
    3. Why worry so much about young college kids when we have Jewish professors at Israeli universities who blame their country for all that is wrong in the M.E.?
    4. There are many groups at many universities that in fact are very active in promoting Israeli concerns and in turning out to protest the usurge in Palestinian screamfests that take place at various schools.
    5. I have faith in our young, esp. our Jewish young. And I am old. Very old.
    6. And how come you do not blogroll me for my site?
    see: many of us neglect the important things.

  • Freddie, I fixed your link and I cannot say why we don’t blogroll you. I’ll ask my friend ck and let him decide.

    4 young women in one evening is actually a significant success. (Get your mind out of the gutter, Michael, that’s not what I meant!)

    The professors at the universities are something I can’t do much about. We have a problem in that they keep hiring clones of themselves and the problem is perpetuated. However, young people are something we can do something about, and we should.

    The many groups at the universities are active, but none was represented last night for example because the event was labeled innocently. While some of these campus groups are helpful and useful, they do not overcome the problem Professor Arbiser brings up, which is the lack of interest of many Jewish students in this entire topic, and to a degree even in their Jewishness, not only because they lack the education but because they simply don’t want to stick out or become the lightning rods for the non-stop attacks of these many campus activists. Converting Hillel students into active Israel supporters is important, but it is even more important to bring other young Jews first in the Jewish fold, and then, hopefully, into a better relationship with Israel.

    Finally, even old people still have a lot to give and I have a lot of faith in really old people. 😉

  • They offered public apologies for Israel’s misdeeds, even though there was nothing for which to apologize. Oh, and the forum wasn’t even intended for apologetics. Oh and nothing positive was said about Israel the entire night and these young women certainly didn’t come there for mea culpas. They were simply moved by pure bullshit propaganda – and I mean that in the kindest way – to atone for non-existent sins, as if they, as Jews, had something for which to apologize because there is an ongoing brutal conflict. None of the young Palestinians present offered similar apologies, although one did point out that it was a great thing that she was able to even speak to Israeli-born Jews.

  • I was looking for the new op-ed that came out today called ‘self-hating Israelis’, but the A7 english site is down right now.

    Anyways,
    Reuven Koret is one of the few Israeli millionaires to come out pro-Israel, and pro-Jewish. You’ll notice that the israelinsider he funds is also in the same family of jewsweek, and israel21c.

    Ten ideas for those who see Israel self-destructing
    http://web.israelinsider.com/views/4975.htm

  • Why not worry about the professors? Of course we worry about them, but then again, you don’t plant your seeds in stone. You plant it in the soft soil. There are, say, 100 professors out there, and hundreds of thousands of students. These young people are the future of Judiasm. They will convert, intermarry, and hate Israel if we do not do anything to counter this brainwashing. They will be lost by the thousands, and be the end to Jewish bloodlines.

    To dismiss them as young, silly, and liberal is a dangerous mistake. They grow up to be the professors to the next generation, and the cycle will continue. We need positive outreach to these young people NOW, before thier minds are completely poisoned against us. These are JEWISH college students, our brothers and sisters. We have an obligation as a people to give them a positive Jewish education.

    If you want to stem the tide of antisemitism on college campuses, donate to your local Chabad or Hillel and ask what you can do to help bring these kids home.

  • One of my first experiences talking to a (later I discovered relatively pro-Israel) Jew about converting was suprising. He noted that he wasn’t sure if the Rabbi who was guiding me would require me to be an “apologist” for Israel. I said simply that there was nothing to apologize for and that I was already a Zionist.

    I wonder if he made the comment because of his presumptions about mainstream views on Irael or something else. It is still strage to me that the comment would even be uttered by a Jew.

  • TM, i find this interesting,
    There is, as you said a serious “vacuum that exists in the Jewish community’s ability to explain the Middle East conflict effectively”. ck raved to me about your ability to fill this very vacuum in a remarkably articulate and educated way, and yet, all i saw in any of your posts about Israel up until very recently was criticism after criticism. Even when you were pointing out legitimate problems within Israeli society (ie banks and whatnot), I felt that particularly because of this “vacuum” your talents could be used both for good and for awesome on this blog. Hence my occational frustrations with you as released into various comment threads.
    That’s where it was coming from when it seemed to be nothing but endless ranting about the problems of Israel.
    Not that it is in any way wrong to also be critical of Israel when it is due (sometimes too often) I just like when you switch it up a bit with a little of your infamous support of Israel too. Thanks.

  • I will bet these professors got ‘their’ college education in the USA. The political boot camps for uneducated anti-US and anti-Israel juveniles that never seem to be able to grow up at any age.

  • I’m a regular visitor of your site. I just wanted to let you know of Right2Express, in hopes that you will link to us from your website. Right2Express is an online magazine for young writers that I and a friend launched a few months ago. Please visit us at http://www.r2xmagazine.com

    Thanks.