by Gary Rosenblatt
Jewish Week
March 19, 2004
Jewish Week
March 19, 2004
It took a long time for the American Jewish community to focus on the Israel-Palestinian battles that have been playing out at universities around the country the last three years. But now that a number of communal organizations are working to bolster advocacy for Israel by helping students counteract pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrations, rallies and petitions, the most serious threat to the Zionist cause is coming from another corner of the campus: the faculty.
There is no question that the impact of a respected professor teaching a history or political science course and framing the Mideast conflict in ways hostile to Israel is far more lasting, and insidious, than students holding an "End the Occupation" protest on the Quad. Students come and go, but professors remain, shaping the views of their charges year after year. And the sad truth is that a disproportionate number of university faculty members, including Jews, are more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and often hostile to Israel.
There are numerous reports of professors questioning the legitimacy of the State of Israel, in class, and students feeling too intimidated to challenge them, for fear of ridicule or reduced grades. Academic freedom goes a long way, particularly on traditionally liberal college campuses, where Israel has gone from David to Goliath since the Six-Day War of 1967. The Jewish state is commonly perceived as a brutal occupier of the Palestinian people and stumbling block to Palestinian freedom and statehood. Too few students have the knowledge, or courage, to offer a counter view.
Ed Beck, president of the Susquehanna Institute in Harrisburg, Pa., notes that a history professor at Ohio State University proclaims that the State of Israel is based on "historical mythology." A professor at Vassar turned down a request to join a pro-Israel organization, saying he would not support any group that promotes a "low-grade war of genocide against the Palestinian people." And both of these men are Jews.
In an effort to address the increasing number of anti-Israel incidents and teachings on college campuses, Beck helped found a group in June 2002 called Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. The organization claims 600 members, from a wide range of academic disciplines and from some 200 universities across the U.S. and in other countries. The goal, Beck says, is to "educate, network and empower" faculty members to be "knowledgeable mentors and authoritative resources" for colleagues, students and others on campus. Click to Keep Reading
There is no question that the impact of a respected professor teaching a history or political science course and framing the Mideast conflict in ways hostile to Israel is far more lasting, and insidious, than students holding an "End the Occupation" protest on the Quad. Students come and go, but professors remain, shaping the views of their charges year after year. And the sad truth is that a disproportionate number of university faculty members, including Jews, are more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and often hostile to Israel.
There are numerous reports of professors questioning the legitimacy of the State of Israel, in class, and students feeling too intimidated to challenge them, for fear of ridicule or reduced grades. Academic freedom goes a long way, particularly on traditionally liberal college campuses, where Israel has gone from David to Goliath since the Six-Day War of 1967. The Jewish state is commonly perceived as a brutal occupier of the Palestinian people and stumbling block to Palestinian freedom and statehood. Too few students have the knowledge, or courage, to offer a counter view.
Ed Beck, president of the Susquehanna Institute in Harrisburg, Pa., notes that a history professor at Ohio State University proclaims that the State of Israel is based on "historical mythology." A professor at Vassar turned down a request to join a pro-Israel organization, saying he would not support any group that promotes a "low-grade war of genocide against the Palestinian people." And both of these men are Jews.
In an effort to address the increasing number of anti-Israel incidents and teachings on college campuses, Beck helped found a group in June 2002 called Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. The organization claims 600 members, from a wide range of academic disciplines and from some 200 universities across the U.S. and in other countries. The goal, Beck says, is to "educate, network and empower" faculty members to be "knowledgeable mentors and authoritative resources" for colleagues, students and others on campus. Click to Keep Reading
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