By Alyssa Weinstein and Nate Silverblatt
We are lucky.
Attending a university that spearheads inclusion, community and innovation is not always commonplace. Despite its shortcomings, Emory is close to being a diamond in the rough. With its precedent for high moral standards in the academic community, Emory parallels another entity in the world: Israel.
Both places instill the same values, although others may not. While these two communities are not normally associated together, they have more similarities than one might think. And while tragedies occur in both places, bloodshed and war are never fully justified. We should, however, realize that Israel truly earns the right to be regarded as just.
Two weeks ago, we, the Emory-Israel Public Affairs Committee (EIPAC), were proud to have nearly one hundred students approach our table at Wonderful Wednesday to share their reasons for loving Israel. We gave out Israeli chocolate bars, distributed Israel-themed apparel and discussed the accomplishments of the only Jewish state in the world. This event was not designed to be political or to create a dialogue on the Israel-Palestine conflicts, as many of our other events are designed to do. Rather, we wanted to highlight the successes of a country that is smaller than the size of New Jersey, surrounded by enemies and under constant threat – yet it is still able to boast accomplishments like having the highest ratio of university degrees per capita in the world.
Then why is EIPAC under scrutiny for asking students why they love Israel, and nothing more? Why can’t students, Jewish and non-Jewish, celebrate all the accomplishments Israel has achieved in the name of peace? Acknowledging the good a country does unto others in no way negates the fact that this country is far from perfect. So, when we read the editorial, “Emory Community Should Question Israel,” written by College senior Anusha Ravi and College junior Ben Crais, we were upset for several reasons.
First, their article, which attacks our event on the basis that “the event ignores many of the nuances present in the Israel-Palestine conflict and minimizes the struggles of Palestinians living in the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza,” reflects an inherent bias and double standard often conflated against Israel. During the United States’ Fourth of July celebrations, we don’t see opinion pieces in The Emory Wheel that we are minimizing the struggles of Native Americans. If this were an “Ask Me Why I Love France” event, there would not be protests that the event was ignoring the plight of Jews throughout that country.
The Israel we love is a complex country; there is a difference between having national pride for a country and having blind approval of a country’s government and policies. Instead, the criticism of our event is derived from the constant questioning of Israel’s legitimacy. No other country in the world is asked to give back land won in defensive wars, just as only victims of terrorist attacks in Israel are reported in the context of Israeli provocation.
Second, the piece minimizes the accomplishments of Israel and attributes its success to the plight of Palestinians. It claims that “these perceived ‘successes,’ and most of Israel’s successes as a nation since 1948, are derivative from its oppression and systematic displacement of Palestinians and contingent upon treating Palestinians like second-class citizens … ” This is not only untrue, but also a blatant attempt to discredit the remarkable triumphs of a country; its existence is a feat of its own. When looking at Israel’s accomplishments, it is easy to see that this argument is an oversimplification of a complex conflict.
This tiny piece of land in the war-torn Middle East strives to help others on a daily basis. No less than a decade after its creation, the State of Israel was helping other countries thrive. For example, it taught the citizens of Ghana better irrigation techniques and water development methods; many other African countries soon reaped the benefits of these efforts as well. Israel is not afraid to assist others, regardless of the consequences.
These efforts include needed medical treatment for a relative of one of the Hamas’ top leaders – a leader in same organization that calls for Israel’s destruction in its charter. Israel’s medical assistance reaches not only the leaders of Hamas, but also the Palestinian people. Under the Palestinian Authority, health care is extremely expensive and difficult to receive. However, at one of the leading Israeli hospitals, 30 percent of the children treated are Palestinian.
Israel not only assists citizens in other countries, but simultaneously cares about its own civilians with the same passion; it is also the only country in the Middle East that allows all religious groups to practice freely. These achievements happened because of the hard working, innovative people in Israel, not because of security measures taken against Palestinians.
And third, the article is intrinsically hypocritical. It states that, “In order to comply with Emory’s commitment to ethical engagement, it is important to address all sides of an issue – especially one as politically charged and ethically pressing as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Despite the fact that the event was not geared towards engaging in the conflict or its politics, the authors themselves did not live up to this commitment in their omission of several key facts. In the discussion of the summer 2014 war in Gaza, they describe how “Israel bombed multiple UN-operated buildings, including a school that was filled with refugees.”
However, there is no mention of the UN’s three separate discoveries of Hamas weapons caches in its schools. There is no mention of the Hamas policy of shooting rockets from residential areas, schools and hospitals to maximize civilian casualties at the expense of Israel’s image.
And there is no mention of the disputed and possibly inflated number of casualties from the war, with the difficulties of differentiating between militants and civilians. The difference in casualties between the Israelis and the Palestinians this summer was not a result of Israeli aggression, but of Hamas’ disdain for human life and Israel’s priority for defense.
When we host events to promote dialogue and engage in the politics of the conflict, we ensure that all the facts are presented and all viewpoints can be addressed. And when we write articles, we also must ensure that both sides of the conflict are reflected.
Israel is doing what every community should do: overcome negativity by moving forward and helping others. Let us acknowledge the good in a country that may not always make the right choice, but often rises to the highest possible moral standard. Events like “Ask Me Why” at Wonderful Wednesday are designed to reinforce the patriotism many students feel about Israel, without the polarization found at the usual political events. Israel may not be a diamond, but the valiant and selfless acts of this country are the purest of form.
Alyssa Weinstein is a College junior from Short Hills, New Jersey. Nate Silverblatt is a College freshman from Sugar Land, Texas.
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
Long live Israel. A beacon of light in a dark world.
I thought this was the Wheel, not the Spoke…
Israel does NOT even recognize the state of Palestine. This is a complete joke. Israel have been nothing but bullies. Every non-Jewish American knows that the Israeli government even bullies the US into giving millions in aid every single year.
I cannot believe Americans accept Israel as an ally. American believes in the separation of state and religion when Israel is based on it.
You do realize that America, the UN, and the EU all give money to Palestine, right? What do they use it on besides tunnels, suicide bombs, and missiles?
what do the israeli’s use it for besides funding bombs and guns and tanks and bullets? http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/usaid.html
zero aid to Palestine. The US does not even recognize Palestine as a country for god’s sake!
How are you gonna upvote your own comment? C’mon now…this isn’t Yik Yak.
“When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You are talking
anti-Semitism.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr., Harvard University 1968.
A loud majority of Jewish students at Emory (not all) believe that their newfound status as a majority combined with the history of oppression that Jews have faced allows them to say or do anything. They have an undeserved sense of entitlement and elitism and it is offensive to people of other minorities whose ancestors have struggled and been discriminated against because of reasons even more insignificant than religion. And any educated millennial should be able to recognize the flaws inherent in any religion, yet Jewish Emory students are unable to see the hypocrisies of Israel and the hypocrisy in the way they carry themselves at Emory.
This is a really destructive comment to our community. I’m not saying you’re wrong or right, but I’d like to think that the point of opinion articles is to refute the opinion that is being stated. You just slighted an entire population of people without even knowing them, all while trying to insult their intelligence (they aren’t able to see apparent ‘hypocrisies’?!). I would bet that you would not have been ok with someone doing something similar to you.
I specified that it was a loud majority, not the entire population. I’m basing this on what I see every day at Emory. I have Jewish friends, and I tell them when they’re crossing the line. I’ve been to Hillel, and was treated in a condescending manner. The clique of Jewish-obsessed students at Emory are simply not inclusive, they may formally believe they are, but in the way they treat others and carry themselves, definitely not. I believe they are all intelligent, but groupthink clouds their judgement and makes them believe they are righteously standing up for Israel and Judaism. However it turns into egotism as they end up mainly putting down others and being exclusive.
Even so, a loud majority is already claiming that you’ve encountered the entire Jewish population at Emory. I will put money that you haven’t encountered them all. That’s what I mean by slighting the entire population. Your claim of groupthink actually upends any claim to their intelligence: you’re saying they can’t think for themselves.
Also, going back to your original comment: you seem to disregard that a lot of Jewish people’s ancestors went through the Holocaust (!!). Even a recent grad, who was featured in Emory News, had a grandfather who went through it (look up the article about engaged Emory students). At that point, Hitler wasn’t saying “welp, they practice this crazy religion, throw them in concentration camps!” Hitler was discriminating on more than religion. These students heard these stories from their own family and have remembered them going forward.
Needless to say, your arguments appear to me to be broad generalizations. Personal ancedote: I’ve been hated on by black students and scoffed at for having a black girlfriend by black students (they are *certain* I just fetishize my girlfriend) but I notice that this is not a majority of them and this small minority is flat out wrong. I could easily say that Emory’s black student population is exclusive too. But I don’t because it is simply untrue. I haven’t met them all, and being black doesn’t go hand in hand with a generalized trait. Just like being Jewish doesn’t go hand in hand with a trait of “egotism.”
Us blacks are pretty exclusive.. but that’s not by choice, its because yall dont like us. AEPi, sig nu, and Tri Delt are popular greek organizations on campus and you probably cant name the black fraternities and sororities because we arent allowed on the row. Emory is the opposite of the Holocaust. I dont see a “Why we love Africa” day or a giant gold chain hanging in Asbury Circle to celebrate my heritage.
Alphas, AKAs, Kappas, Ques, Deltas, Sigmas, Zetas, SGRhos, and Iotas — also known as the Divine Nine. We have all but the last two organizations on campus (though I heard we’re supposed to get SGRhos…). Alphas are pushing to get a house back, and other groups are getting enough numbers to request housing. Dean Nair is working actively with them. I know this since I’ve spoken with him.
I won’t be lumped into this supposed monolith you’ve constructed for all other Emory students who “don’t like” black students. Some of my best friends are black.
Muslims live in a world of Orwellian double speak, where war
is peace, slavery is freedom, and death is life. and BlackEmoryStudent is apparently crazy enough to believe them.
maybe you would be happier in a campus without so many Jooooooooos
As a Jewish Emory student who doesn’t support Israel, I’d like you to fuck off.
Also, how are you going to upvote your own comment?
The “Palestinians” are illegal colonist-settlers from Arabia illegally occupying the Jewish homeland of Judea.
Maybe *your* religion is flawed, but all of the most evil fascist, warmongering monsters in history have hated my Judaism. It must be doing something right.
Can’t tell if this is an article to troll or not. I have a particularly hard time digesting this little modicum of information “Despite its shortcomings, Emory is close to being a diamond in the rough. With its precedent for high moral standards in the academic community, Emory parallels another entity in the world: Israel.”
How can one be “close” to being a diamond in the rough?
High moral standards you say? Hmmm, let’s rethink this amid the state-funded terrorism (Israel), the administration flat out lying to its constituents (Emory) and numerous microagressions and things of that nature that appear on campus.
If we parallel Israel, we’re in a pretty terrible position.
Let’s see. Out of the 22 Arab countries, zero are democracies. The Arabs say that the one democracy in the picture -Israel — is evil, and that if only the Arabs in the vicinity (the Palestinian Arabs) were allowed to set up their own nation next to Israel, they would suddenly stop attacking Israel and would become nice and democratic. Yeah, right.
As we come into the United Nations, we passed the flags of all 193 member States. If you take the time to count, you will discover that there are 15 flags with a crescent and 25 flags with a cross. And then there is one flag with a Jewish Star
of David. Amidst all the nations of the world there is one state – just one small nation state for the Jewish people.
And for some people, that is one too many.
The only other country founded on religion and is a fully religious country is Muslim countries. I find it amazing that the only two religions that occupy countries are the two most bigoted and non-inclusive religions out there.
You know nothing about Israel. Everything you know is a false meme.
You should really support Israel; don’t believe the lies that gentiles (and their Jewish lapdogs) teach you to get you to reject your own people.
Obviously none of you cowardly Emory Students are going to reveal your names. I’ll personally have Pres. Wag send you to the conduct council like we did to that idiot who wrote Trump 2016 on the sidewalk.