erg-P

ee" ; z'

Local universities are being
barraged by an anti-Israel campaign,
with many Jewish students unwilling or
unable to respond.

AARON HALABE

Special to The Jewish News

A

battle is being
waged on campuses
throughout the
state of Michigan.
It is the battle for
public opinion, and a clear
victor is emerging.
The Arabs "are winning
the propaganda war," said
Wayne State University stu-
dent Sharon Goldstein, vice
president of the Zionist Stu-
dent Organization (ZSO).
"They're winning on cam-
puses; they're winning in
general."
The battle for public opi-

24

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1990

nion has intensified on cam-
pus since the intifada, the
Palestinian uprising, began
two years ago.
"Especially now, since the
intifada, the Jewish com-
munity is definitely divided.
We're very divided amongst
ourselves — it's the divide
and conquer theory — they're
unifying; we're dividing,"
Goldstein said.
Jewish campus and corn-
munity leaders fear not only
that Jewish students are
dividing, but that they are
unwilling or unable to effec-
tively respond to the unified
attacks of Arab groups.
Palestinian student groups
at WSU organize demonstra-

tions and lectures — often
with sympathetic Jewish
speakers, present films,
assembling displays in
showcases in the Student
Center building and
distribute anti-Israel lit-
erature at tables set up at
strategic campus locations.
The literature equates Israeli
government policy with Nazi
Germany and South Africa.
The Muslim Students
Association, the General
Union of Palestinian
Students and other groups
have sponsored showcase
displays that contained the
messages: "Stop the Israeli
genocide of Palestinian peo-
ple:' "Israel and South Africa

— partners in repression"
and "Stop U.S. aid to apar-
theid Israel."

A core group of WSU's
small Jewish student popula-
tion promotes the pro-Israel
position. But Goldstein
believes the Palestinian
groups are persistent in their
efforts because they don't
perceive a strong, unified
opposition.

"A lot of students are like
I was. They see the
showcases; they see the
demonstrations; but they just
close their eyes. That's
typical of commuter schools
because what happens on
campus doesn't affect