A SUCCESS AT BUFFALO UNIVESITY HILLEL: RACHL LIPSKY
A Task Ahead; Lessons learned from the last Hillel event hosting General Effie Eitam..
Rachel Lipsky
Buffalo Jewish Review. (Friday, November 13th, 2009)
We all go through moments in life when we are left with an impressionable dent in our conscious. For me, the last Buffalo Hillel event featuring General Effie Eitam, an Israeli Hero, as the keynote speaker was such one occasion.
According to his blog, Effie Eitam is the Special Emissary of the Prime Minister of Israel’s office for campus engagement. He is also consultant to the Prime Minister on infrastructure and energy matters in Israel and overseas. His tour is sponsored by the Jewish National Fund (JNF).
To be sure, the evening ended up being a great success. However, a disturbing trend is happening which needs to be addressed by our Jewish leadership and all other concerned citizens. The reaction of the Israel / Jew haters at our campus (University of Buffalo) at the event was one illustration of the increased tension in campuses all around the US and a warning sign to the inevitable troubling times ahead at our own university and community.
Throughout the day during Mr. Eitam’s visit, a coalition of Marxists, radical lefty students and Islamists joined together in an orgy of shameful attempts to discredit the speaker, Hillel and anyone supporting the event. They disseminated fliers filled of bogus propaganda charges and spread lies against General Eitam, presenting him as a radical Israeli racist.
At the conclusion of the event when we exited the Hall, the protesters – chorus of haters – with fierce vile expressions directed by English professor James Holstun (who has brought in the last few years Norman Finkelstein and other Israel and Jew haters to speak here in Buffalo) – repeatedly shouted slogans while advancing an atmosphere of rage and intimidation.
In his introduction Dan Lenard, the President of Hillel eloquently articulated the situation stating;
… “the effort of certain individuals and organizations to make a concerted effort to urge us to cancel our speaker because of their slanderous view of him (Effie Eitam) was troubling. It points to a bigger problem in our community and on campus in regard to the discussion of the situation in the Middle East.
Free speech is the overriding hue of our constitution, and when I woke up this morning, I looked outside my window I still saw an American flag. To me that says more than the passionate rhetoric of the fascists who accuse our guest, using lies and slander.â€
The University police did a fabulous job at protecting all of us. At the conclusion of the event, General Eitam insisted on exiting the Hall through the front door and not through the back as was suggested to him by the police. He then approached Professor Holstun who was leading the choir of demonstrators with a handshake. Holstun refused to reciprocate and continued shouting at him, underscoring his rudeness. As one student described; “It’s truly shocking to witness a mature person acting like a wild boyâ€.
Fortunately, as previously mentioned, the event turned out to be victorious. About 200 people attended. Many students, from all backgrounds; Jews and non Jews alike attended, new and young faces – people who don’t usually show up to such events. General Eitam was a captivating speaker. He drew a realistic picture of the gloomy present day geopolitical map. He delivered a strong message of awareness regarding the existential Iranian threat; not only to Israel but to the entire Western world. He instilled a sense of urgency to the dark reality of Iran with nuclear weapons. He boldly defended Israel’s right to defend itself, and provided a realistic picture of the Arab (Palestinian) Israel conflict. He handled questions – including those from the adversaries who attended the lecture, in a most honest, direct way with precision, respect and dignity; as a true honorable top Israeli general!
The reactions were exceptionally positive.
One friend wrote: “I am so glad I came last night. I have NEVER been so impressed with a speaker in my life. I thought he handled all of the questions exceptionally well. What a great man!â€- Kathy
And from few students:
“I felt he was an extremely successful speaker†– Stephanie
“Listening to Effie Eitam speak was truly enlightening and inspirational and instilled in me a renewed sense of pride to be a Jewâ€â€¦.it was incredible to hear the cold hard facts and knowledge spoken to us by a true hero.†– Vilana
“Tonight was quite an eye-opener. Brigadier General Effie Eitam was an illuminating and persuasive speaker. General Eitam provided a very powerful message that taught me a lot. Frankly, I was most impressed by the careful deliberation and cogent responses he provided to some pretty virulently anti-Israeli speakers†– Scott
Our Hillel leaders, Dan Lenard, and Joe Davis, demonstrated a superb example of courage and leadership. They stood up to pressure mounting even by elements of our own Jewish community. I can not fathom what would have been the consequence had Hillel caved to the demands and canceled the event. What sort of massage would it send to our students who rallied behind Hillel leaders with a sense of pride? Who knows what would be the effect of canceling such an event in bolstering our enemies’ confidence to continue and suppress us in the future?
Undeniably, our adversaries are relentless in their attempt to work in whatever way for the destruction of Israel. They spread false rumors and demonstrate against anyone they find inappropriate. Moreover, they use other insidious means to advance their destructive agenda. Through interfaith dialogues, they divide and conquer by using our ignorance and naiveté while striving to drive a wedge between Judaism and Israel and disconnecting American Jews and non Jews from Israel.
Judaism and Zionism are inseparable. But a few years ago one of the leading anti-Israel organizers at UB campus – named Sami Hanna – stated in the Spectrum – the UB newspaper: “What’s important is to distinguish political organizations like Zionism from religious groups like Judaism.” According to students who know and observed him, he was vocal and highly active in the last anti-Effie Eitam protests.
As for our side, our reluctance to study and fully comprehend the threats of political ideology of Islam on one hand, and our accommodations and capitulations to our adversaries’ intimidation, are the ideal formula for a disastrous outcome.
The Jewish community can not continue to be complaisant and must stand up as a one united community to the bullying and deceptions. It is time to disregard fruitless interfaith dialogues unless we are equipped with a thorough knowledge of Islam, Islamists’ intentions as well as their hidden agendas, coupled with us demanding from Muslim counterparts unambiguous answers to substantial topics of concern.
If we choose to bury our heads in the sand and blissfully choose the path of ignorance, Jews and non Jewish students alike, who support Israel, may well be open to hostile campus environment with their physical and emotional safety in jeopardy. Furthermore, we may continue to lose students and adults who may adapt our opponents’ narrative out of fear, ignorance and as a result of the epidemically prevalent political correctness. This Tsunami is already in full force and will only increase in dimension and volume.
Consequently, now is the time to change course, redefine priorities and use the appropriate measures in dealing with the upcoming challenges. The work is immense. Hopefully, Effie Eitam’s heroic and admirable acts to defend Israel will inspire us all for outstanding leadership and courage.
Rachel Lipsky is a faculty member at UB and a certified Yoga teacher.
Comments are closed.
