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You Can Shape the Israel Climate on Campus
by David A. Harris
 Don't wait until a potential problem arises! Plan proactive programming to ensure that your pro-Israel messages resonate on campus before challenges present themselves. For example, throughout the school year, Georgetown University students offer programs that emphasize the efficacy of the U.S.-Israel relationship, the fallacies of anti-Israel divestiture campaigns, and Israel's positive contributions to the world. As a result, when the Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM) hosted its annual conference at Georgetown last February "with its usual litany of anti-Israel speakers promoting divestment from Israel" pro-Israel students used the inroads they had made. They hosted panel discussions with high-level Mideast experts; submitted op-eds to campus newspapers; enlisted local community professionals in engaging campus administrators about the benefits of investment in Israel; and met with the university president who had just traveled to Israel to discuss their experiences on Taglit-birthright israel and study abroad programs. (Reform Judaism Magazine)
See also Rabbi Abraham Cooper - Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center - Says Stand With Israel on Campus (YouTube)
Boston: What Academic Values Does the British Boycott Protect?
by Richard L. Cravatts
 The British boycotters may be frustrated  that Israeli academics have not been influenced by their own government’s oppressive actions, but the same cannot be said of students at al-Najah University, for example, who fondly remembered the outbreak of the Intifada by constructing a macabre attraction called "The Sbarro Cafe Exhibition," named for the location of a 2001 suicide bombing of a Jerusalem pizza parlor where 15 Jews were murdered and dozens more wounded. Created not as a memorial but as an inspiration for further terror-laden savagery, the diorama included scattered pizza slices amid Israeli body parts, splattered blood, calls to martyrdom with Koran and Kalashnikovs close by, and, beaming out of a loudspeaker behind a mannequin version of an Orthodox Jew, the inspiring take on an oft-repeated Islamic exhortation: "O believer, there is a Jewish man behind me. Come and kill him." The writer is director of Boston University’s Program in Book and Magazine Publishing at the Center for Professional Education. (History News Network)
Indiana: Anti-Zionism by 'Progressive' Jews
by Alvin Rosenfeld
 For some, to be counted as a member of the progressive camp, anti-Zionism is a necessary part of the equation - as well as anti-capitalism, anti-globalization, anti-Americanism, etc. It's part of a whole ideological package. Some of those in the leadership of the British effort for an academic boycott of Israel are Jews, including Israelis or ex-Israelis living in Great Britain. They dislike Israel intensely. Some also claim to be acting in accord with prophetic teachings and what they see as a higher Jewish ideal. They find their Jewish affirmations in opposition to the Jewish state. The writer is a professor at Indiana University. (Ynet News)
Maryland: Peres Redefining Israel's Presidency
by Guy Ziv
  These bold activities are encouraging to those Israelis who have become disillusioned with Israel's leadership and hope to see an activist president, yet they worry critics who fear that Peres is overstepping his bounds by politicizing the presidency. Like it or not, Peres has already begun to redefine the presidency by transcending the boundaries of this largely ceremonial institution in an effort to assist Israel in its quest for peace and security, while advancing an ambitious domestic agenda. How can the new president pursue activities that are traditionally handled by government ministries? Quite simply, Peres, a determined individual, is a master of doing a lot with a little. Three examples from earlier stages of Peres's career are representative of this unique ability. The writer is a Ph. D. candidate at Maryland University. (Jewish Times)
Quebec: Israel, Lebanon and the Syrian Play
by Alain-Michel Ayache
The main question up in the air is will the West once again fall into the Syrian trap in the name of Realpolitik, and try to maintain a perverted stability to the detriment of the freedom of the Lebanese. Paris may attempt to gather some Lebanese factions around a consensus to oppose the Syrian play, but it is Washington that has the only real power to change the future of the Levant for the better. The major problem facing Washington is the lack of an alternative to the current regime in Syria. Between Assad’s current dictatorship of the Alawite minority and a Sunni fundamentalist regime backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, America prefers the former. The problem is that Assad knows it and is using it to his advantage. The writer is a Middle East expert and political science Professor at UQAM, the University of Quebec in Montreal. (Suburban)
San Francisco State: Anti-Israel Boycott Movement Is Misplaced
by Marc Dollinger
 The anti-Israel boycott movement is misplaced. In both the United States and Israel, there is hope for finding a via media. At a time when boycott supporters are rejecting compromise and understanding, the notion of a negotiated two-state solution holds the center. Rather than join the ideologues intent on demonizing Israel, let's take a centrist path, reject these anti-Zionist diatribes and find a middle ground. The writer holds the Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility. (San Francisco Chronicle)
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Campus Movement to Divest from Iran
by Candace de Russy
 It is urgent that the nation’s higher-education leaders muster the will to demonstrate their institutions’ high purposes by participating in the Divest Iran movement. The largest institutions should point the way for all our colleges and universities by pledging not to invest in companies there and elsewhere whose business dealings benefit Iran and other terrorist states. Higher education’s example would no doubt lead others to follow suit. (National Review)
UCLA: You Have the Right to Feel Offended
by Judea Pearl
 We, as Jews, have been grossly negligent in permitting the dehumanization of Israel to become socially acceptable in certain circles of society, especially on college campuses. Our silence, natural resilience to insults and general reluctance to confront colleagues and friends have contributed significantly to the Orwellianization of campus vocabulary and the legitimization of the unacceptable. Most of our assailants are even unaware of the shivers that go down our spines with utterances such as "apartheid Israeli regime" or "brutal Israeli occupation." But if we take seriously the moral basis for our right to take offense and exercise that right broadly and consistently, a reverse process of de-Orwellianization will ensue. If instead of avoiding confrontation, swallowing our insults or letting ourselves be dragged into defensive arguments, we simply halt the conversation and assert with honesty and dignity, "Sorry, this is offensive to me," or "This is unacceptable," we will reclaim the respect that our adversaries plan to trample. History and decency have given us that right. The writer is a professor at UCLA. (Jewish Journal)
IDC: Ex-Portlander Recruits Students for Israeli College
Interview with Ben Brewer
 Ben Brewer, a recent Emory graduate, does marketing and recruitment for IDC Herzliya: "The job is never boring because the student body is so diverse, and requires so many different contacts and strategies. The school is very young, and there is a feeling that we're a startup high tech company almost, although we're feeling a bit more established in recent years. Regardless, nothing is totally set in stone, there is a large amount of leeway for new ideas, creativity, and challenging pre-existing notions on how to do things. Finally, it's great to work in a college environment, on an absolutely beautiful brand new campus." (Jewish Review)
Occidental College: Touring the Holy Land
by Conor L. Sanchez
 Aside from the bitterness and tension, I found Israel to be one of the most beautiful and culturally rich countries I have ever visited. In particular, both Palestinians and Israelis love to feed you and make you feel at home, with the exception of Tel Aviv on a Friday morning, when people are cranky and probably hung over from the night before. In that case, you’re better off waiting your own table. For the sake of my friends and the wonderful people we met throughout our trip, I maintain hope that Israel and Palestine will one day coexist without the threat of violence. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
Rutgers: Critical Lessons for the Taking
by Leonard A. Cole
 Many Americans responsible for preparedness and security have visited Israeli counterparts and report benefiting immensely. Just what is it that Americans take away from their visits? The answer lies in two general areas: appreciation of Israeli resiliency and hands-on practices. What is needed is a central body to coordinate and regularize these linkages. A binational agency could identify American and Israeli counterparts most suitable for exchange visits in a variety of spheres - security, law enforcement, medical care, disaster management. Israeli experts have demonstrated their eagerness to share knowledge with American counterparts. Their experience is a gift for the taking. Teaching more Americans about Israeli techniques could ultimately save lives. The writer is a political scientist at Rutgers University. (Jerusalem Post)
British Hypocrisy
Editorial
 The UCU boycott is, to put it mildly, misguided and wrongheaded. Not to put it mildly would be to say its an example of the ugly, anti-Semitism that the world has seen too much of. The UCU is condemning Israel while it has open arms for Chinese and Sudanese scholars. Such a double standard is hypocritical. So if the UCU wants to continue its boycott, let it boycott American institutions too. The 300 signers and those who support them but did not get to sign the ad deserve three cheers. (Daily News Record)
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