Mediocrates
05-10-2010, 03:53 AM
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/israel-divestiture-movement-at-uc-berkeley-loses-battle-but-advances-their-war/?mobile=true
Jewish students who come to Berkeley see a Hillel showcasing NIF-sponsored, Israel-bashing groups. They see fellow Jewish students from Kesher Enoshi supporting Students for Justice in Palestine and working for divestiture. They see one-third of the faculty of Jewish studies signing on to the divestiture petition. They see anti-Israel students like Avital Aboody (http://www.nif.org/get-involved/fellowships/social-justice-fellowships/social-justice-fellows.html) recruiting in Hillel and ending up with an NIF social justice fellowship in Israel. They see the pro-Zionist activists go to the San Francisco Israeli consulate to warn about the divestiture movement and get met with indifference. They take courses in social sciences and humanities where the Palestinian narrative dominates. They see the pro-Zionist students marginalized in numerous ways.
So what happens to these students? Some, like Avital Aboody, actively move to the other side. Others find the conflict not worthy of their time and energy, which is why the divestiture movement is so powerful despite the large number of nominally Jewish students on campus.
The divestiture movement lost the vote on campus, but it has won a more important victory than a symbolic vote for a policy that no one will implement. Through a mixture of Jewish apathy and leftist-Jewish support for the Palestinian cause, the divestiture movement has further promoted the legitimacy of the Palestinian narrative, and the movement is actively siphoning off much of the Zionist future.
Jewish students who come to Berkeley see a Hillel showcasing NIF-sponsored, Israel-bashing groups. They see fellow Jewish students from Kesher Enoshi supporting Students for Justice in Palestine and working for divestiture. They see one-third of the faculty of Jewish studies signing on to the divestiture petition. They see anti-Israel students like Avital Aboody (http://www.nif.org/get-involved/fellowships/social-justice-fellowships/social-justice-fellows.html) recruiting in Hillel and ending up with an NIF social justice fellowship in Israel. They see the pro-Zionist activists go to the San Francisco Israeli consulate to warn about the divestiture movement and get met with indifference. They take courses in social sciences and humanities where the Palestinian narrative dominates. They see the pro-Zionist students marginalized in numerous ways.
So what happens to these students? Some, like Avital Aboody, actively move to the other side. Others find the conflict not worthy of their time and energy, which is why the divestiture movement is so powerful despite the large number of nominally Jewish students on campus.
The divestiture movement lost the vote on campus, but it has won a more important victory than a symbolic vote for a policy that no one will implement. Through a mixture of Jewish apathy and leftist-Jewish support for the Palestinian cause, the divestiture movement has further promoted the legitimacy of the Palestinian narrative, and the movement is actively siphoning off much of the Zionist future.