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My University Is Known for Anti-Israel Activity; Here’s How I Am Fighting Back
York University, celebrated for its diverse student body and commitment to social justice, finds itself at a crossroads.
The institution is increasingly associated with anti-Israel activism, which is raising alarms not just among supporters of Israel, but for those who want a peaceful and respectful academic environment. This shift is adversely affecting York’s reputation, transforming the campus atmosphere, and influencing the discourse around complex international issues in its educational programs.
Speaking to many upcoming university students, I have noticed that York’s growing association with anti-Israel activism has hurt its reputation, due to students’ hesitancy in choosing our school. Normally, universities champion learning, research, and healthy debates — but that’s not the case at York, where Jews and supporters of Israel have been vilified and attacked.
York is supposed to represent a cross-section of viewpoints, but due to its reputation for anti-Israel activity, prospective students and teachers might start seeing York as a university overwhelmed by a single, dominating viewpoint. This could turn away people looking for a more neutral learning environment. Recently, the media has put a spotlight on York because of intense protests and activism on campus.
For instance, York University students set up a pro-Palestinian encampment, led by York Popular University for Palestine (YPU4P), demanding that the university divest from and disclose ties to entities involved in the “Palestinian genocide.” They also want the school to boycott Israeli academic institutions.
The increase in campus activism has created challenges for those with diverse perspectives, particularly concerning Israel. From my personal experience, this atmosphere often discourages students from expressing themselves freely, leading to a lack of diverse opinions — a crucial component of a robust education.
For instance, Jewish students or supporters of Israel may feel excluded or silenced, fearing negative reactions, and they are pleading for York University to intervene. But by not taking action to ensure safety and free debate on its campus, the school’s administration has contradicted the university’s goal of fostering an inclusive environment.
Furthermore, instances such as the presence of a pro-Palestine mural at York’s student center contribute to these tensions, as outlined in a legal claim against the school. Critics argue that the mural’s imagery and symbols can be inflammatory or offensive, potentially endorsing resistance or violence, and fostering a divisive atmosphere. These actions have exacerbated students’ feeling of being singled out among their peers. The mural is controversial for its bias — presenting Israel as an aggressor while ignoring its security concerns and historical grievances. This fosters division and overlooks the conflict’s complexities.
Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires a nuanced exploration of its deep historical roots and emotional dimensions. Yet, discussions at York University often oversimplify the conflict, reducing it to simplistic notions of right versus wrong. This approach can lead to misinformation and hinder genuine understanding. For instance, some discussions I have listened to overly focus on Israel’s military actions without considering the context of security threats and historical events that have shaped Israeli policies. Students aren’t equipped with the facts to understand the region, or that any clams of Israeli “genocide” or “apartheid” simply aren’t true.
Moreover, labeling Israel solely as an aggressor ignores its legitimate security concerns, such as ongoing rocket attacks, Palestinian terrorism (including Hamas’ promises to repeat the October 7 massacre), and threats from neighboring regions and terror proxies like Hezbollah. This oversimplification perpetuates biases and stereotypes, hindering constructive dialogue and empathy among students. A comprehensive education should encourage critical engagement with multiple perspectives and historical facts, fostering well-informed viewpoints rooted in empathy and understanding. Oversimplifying such a complex conflict risks undermining educational integrity and perpetuates divisive narratives rather than promoting meaningful dialogue and peace-building efforts.
As members of the York community who support Israel, we must not remain silent. It is crucial to engage in campus debates, contribute opinion pieces, organize educational events, and utilize online platforms to convey a more complete picture of the conflict.
The aim is not to suppress criticism of Israel, but to ensure that such criticisms are informed, fair, and consider multiple viewpoints. The university administration also has a vital role: implementing clear policies against harassment, supporting those targeted for their political beliefs, and fostering a campus culture where challenging topics can be discussed respectfully.
Advocating for a balanced discussion on Israel at York is not just about supporting a nation; it is about upholding academic freedom, fostering respectful debate, and promoting a thoughtful exchange of ideas. This approach is essential not only for a healthy academic environment but also for preparing students to interact with the world as informed and considerate individuals.
Leenoy Daskalo is a student at York University.
The post My University Is Known for Anti-Israel Activity; Here’s How I Am Fighting Back first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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A pro-Israel rally at the University of Toronto was headlined by Columbia University professor Shai Davidai
Around 200 people gathered for a pro-Israel demonstration at University of Toronto’s downtown campus at King’s College Circle—which was the site of one of Canada’s largest pro-Palestinian encampments during May […]
The post A pro-Israel rally at the University of Toronto was headlined by Columbia University professor Shai Davidai appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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‘Not Welcome’: New Pro-Hamas Campaign Aims to Abolish Hillel Campus Chapters
A statue of George Washington tied with a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh inside a pro-Hamas encampment is pictured at George Washington University in Washington, DC, US, May 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Craig Hudson
The campus group National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) is waging a campaign to gut Jewish life in academia, calling for the abolition of Hillel International campus chapters, the largest collegiate organization for Jewish students in the world.
“Over the past several decades, Hillel has monopolized for Jewish campus life into a pipeline for pro-Israel indoctrination, genocide-apologia, and material support to the Zionist project and its crimes,” a social media account operating the campaign, titled #DropHillel, said in a manifesto published last week. “Across the country, Hillel chapters have invited Israeli soldiers to their campuses; promoted propaganda trips such as birthright; and organized charity drives for the Israeli military.”
It continued, “Such actions reveal Hillel’s ideological and material investment in Zionism, despite the organization’s facade as being simply a ‘Jewish cultural space.’”
DropHillel claims to be “Jewish-led,” although only a small minority of Jews oppose Zionism, and the group has been linked to and promoted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters.
Hillel International has provided Jewish students a home away from home during the academic year. However, NSJP says it wants to “weaken” it and “dismantle oppression.”
The idea has already been picked up by pro-Hamas student groups at one college, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, according to The Daily Tar Heel, the school’s official student newspaper. On Oct. 9, it reported, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) unveiled the idea for “no more Hillel” during a rally which, among other things, demanded removing Israel from UNC’s study abroad program and adopting the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. Addressing the comments to the paper days later, SJP, which has been linked to Islamist terrorist organizations, proclaimed that shuttering Hillel is a coveted goal of the anti-Zionist movement.
“Zionism is a racist supremacist ideology advocating for the creation and sustenance of an ethnostate through the expulsion and annihilation of native people,” the group told the paper. “Therefore, any group that advocates for a supremacist ideology — be it the KKK, the Proud Boys, Hillel, or Heels for Israel — should not be welcome on campus.”
The #DropHillel campaign came amid an unprecedented surge in anti-Israel incidents on college campuses, which, according to a report published last month by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), have reached crisis levels.
Revealing a “staggering” 477 percent increase in anti-Zionist activity involving assault, vandalism, and other phenomena, the report — titled “Anti-Israel Activism on US Campuses, 2023-2024” — painted a bleak picture of America’s higher education system poisoned by political extremism and hate.
“As the year progressed, Jewish students and Jewish groups on campus came under unrelenting scrutiny for any association, actual or perceived, with Israel or Zionism,” the report said. “This often led to the harassment of Jewish members of campus communities and vandalism of Jewish institutions. In some cases, it led to assault. These developments were underpinned by a steady stream of rhetoric from anti-Israel activists expressing explicit support for US-designated terrorists organizations, such as Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and others.”
The report added that 10 campuses accounted for 16 percent of all incidents tracked by ADL researchers, with Columbia University and the University of Michigan combining for 90 anti-Israel incidents — 52 and 38, respectively. Harvard University, the University of California – Los Angeles, Rutgers University New Brunswick, Stanford University, Cornell University, and others filled out the rest of the top 10. Violence, it continued, was most common at universities in the state of California, where anti-Zionist activists punched a Jewish student for filming him at a protest.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post ‘Not Welcome’: New Pro-Hamas Campaign Aims to Abolish Hillel Campus Chapters first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Muslim for Trump’ Launches Initiatives in Key Battleground States, Says Candidate Will Bring ‘Peace’ to Gaza
Former US President Donald Trump is seen at a campaign event in South Carolina. Photo: Reuters/Sam Wolfe
The “Muslims for Trump” organization has officially launched initiatives to help elect Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to the White House, arguing that he would be more likely to end the war in Gaza than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
In a statement released on Monday, the group said it will focus on recruiting Muslim voters in key battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. The organization both praised Trump for his supposed “peace-focused” approach to ending the war in Gaza and condemned Harris for helping facilitate a so-called “genocide.”
“After meeting with President Trump, it was clear to me he is the right leader for Muslims to get behind,” Rabiul Chowdhury, co-founder of Muslims for Trump and former co-chair of the “Abandon Harris Movement,” said in a statement.
Chowdhury added that during his discussions with Trump, the former president vowed to “ending the escalation of wars and bringing peace to war-torn regions.” In contrast to Trump’s promise to stop the “bloodshed” in Gaza, he claimed, Harris has “recklessly pushed us toward World War III.”
Chowdhury, a self-described “peace advocate,” urged the Muslim community not to fall victim to supposed “misinformation” campaigns by the media and Democrats that paint the former president as hostile to immigrants. He claimed that the former president’s focus is on “ending war, not dividing families through false immigration claims.”
Samra Luqman, chair of the Michigan chapter of Muslims for Trump, underscored the need to punish the Biden administration for what he described as supporting a “genocide” in Gaza.
“The goal of this election is to hold the Biden administration accountable for a genocide. No amount of fear mongering or scare tactics will persuade my community into forgiving the mutilation, live-burning, and genocide of over 200,000 people,” he said.
According to data produced by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, roughly 40,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began last October. Israel has said that its forces have killed about 20,000 Hamas terrorists during its military campaign.
Israel says it has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, noting its efforts to evacuate areas before it targets them and to warn residents of impending military operations with leaflets, text messages, and other forms of communication.
On the organization Muslims for Trump’s official website, it claims that the Abraham Accords, a series of historic, Trump administration-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several countries in the Arab world, helped stabilize the Middle East. It also says that had Trump not lost the 2020 presidential race, the so-called “genocide” could have been prevented.
“Under Trump’s leadership, the Abraham Accords were brokered, fostering peaceful relations between Israel and several Arab countries. Supporters might argue that Trump’s diplomacy prioritized peace and stability in the Middle East, reducing the likelihood of large-scale conflicts like genocide,” the group wrote.
Over the course of his campaign, Trump has repeatedly touted his support for the Jewish state during his singular term in office. Trump has boasted about his administration’s work in fostering the Abraham Accords, promising to resume efforts to strengthen them if he were to win November’s US presidential election.
Harsh US sanctions levied on Iran under Trump crippled the Iranian economy and led its foreign exchange reserves to plummet. Trump and his Republican supporters in the US Congress have criticized the Biden administration for renewing billions of dollars in US sanctions waivers, which had the effect of unlocking frozen funds and allowing the country to access previously inaccessible hard currency.
Trump also recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria, and also moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing the city as the Jewish state’s capital.
Despite Harris’s repeated efforts to woo Muslim voters, polling data indicates that the demographic has made a dramatic swing away from the Democratic Party. Polling data from the Arab American Institute reveals that Trump slightly edges Harris among Muslim voters by a margin of 42 to 41 percent. A report from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) shows that Green Party candidate Jill Stein leads Harris and Trump with Muslim voters in the key swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
The post ‘Muslim for Trump’ Launches Initiatives in Key Battleground States, Says Candidate Will Bring ‘Peace’ to Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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