ASU for Israel stresses education
BARRY COHEN
Editor
Both the good news and bad news surrounding Israel activism at Arizona State University are related to the lack of understanding of Israel and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to a campus Jewish leader.
"Ignorance is a greater enemy at ASU than anti-Semitism ... and that's the good news," says Rabbi Barton Lee, executive director of the Hillel Jewish Center at Arizona State University.
The bad news is that Jews in particular are not educated about the issues surrounding the conflict and are not committed to supporting and defending Israel, he adds.
ASU for Israel, a pro-Israel advocacy group, has responded by emphasizing education, says Lee.
Providing educational material about Israel, offering examples of Israeli culture and being visible on campus are the three goals of ASU for Israel, explains Lee.
The group has a "small cadre ... probably a couple dozen of real hard-core folks" leading efforts, he notes.
He assesses the past year's efforts as a success.
"We had a great year," says Lee.
In the past year, the group was visible on the campus mall, distributing educational materials concerning events affecting Israel, he says.
In addition, during Sukkot, the group featured the King David Drummers for Peace, an ensemble from Israel. In April, at the Israel festival, approximately 300 people stopped by the ASU for Israel display, says Lee.
There were also a number of speakers during the year to educate students about the realities of living in Israel. An example was Tal Becker, legal advisor to the Israel United Nations delegation.
"He gave a fabulous presentation on international law and terrorism," says Lee.
The counterpart of ASU for Israel is the Muslim Student Association.
During the past year, the MSA emphasized Muslim culture, says Lee. "Their efforts were not as political as last year."
However, when they did sponsor political events, ASU for Israel was there to respond. "They wanted to provide another interpretation of the same facts," he says.
ASU for Israel tried to avoid "attack-response mode," but rather attempted to provide "a creative active presence" on campus, he adds.
Of note is that the ASU faculty provided little opposition to the group's pro-Israel efforts, says Lee.
"There is not a high proportion of radical faculty members," says Professor Jack Kugelmass, director of the ASU Jewish Studies Program.
ASU is not a political campus, like the University of California at Berkeley, he adds. Professors and students are not "spouting rhetoric" condemning Zionism and Israel. However, "if you want to address the issues, it is difficult to excite them to come and discuss."
At times, the faculty will insert political topics into their lectures, such as during the days surrounding Sept. 11, 2001, and the Iraqi War says School of Justice Studies Professor Madelaine Adelman.
However, she notes that students are not looking for professors to relate their lecture topics to current political issues, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The students seem to want to get on with the business of the day," she notes.
Contact the writer at barry_cohen@jewishaz.com.
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