OTHER VIEWS

Mideast Strife Touches U-M

Ann Arbor
is been a tumultuous April for
I supporters of Israel on the
University of Michigan campus.
The month's activities ranged
from a violent confrontation with pro-
Palestinian demonstrators to a peaceful
pro-Israel gathering and an attempt to
plan a rally based on peaceful co-exis-
tence in the Middle East.
More than 400 Jewish students gath-
ered April 10 in support of the state of
Israel, effectively filling the square
behind the East Hall auditorium in
Ann Arbor. Four-hundred students is a
big deal; it makes this demonstration
one of the largest at U-M this year.
That number, 400-plus, kept resonat-
ing in my head. Four-hundred-plus is
also the number of Jews who have been
murdered in Israel since Sept. 28, 2000,
when Palestinian Authority leader
Yasser Arafat set off the latest
Palestinian intifada (uprisin
The pro-Israel demonstration organ-
ized by Samantha Rollinger, 20, of West
Bloomfield and David Livshiz, 21, of
Farmington Hills came in the wake of
great tension on campus between those
who support Israel and Palestinian sym-
pathizers. The day before, April 9, 60 or
so Palestinian supporters gathered on

campus to protest against Israeli "occu-
pation." The protest ended with clashes
between the demonstrators and the
approximately 10 pro-Israel supporters
(including myself). We had sponta-
neously assembled to counter-demon-
strate by carrying pro-Israel posters and
Israeli flags and singing Hatikvah.
Anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish slurs
were hurled at us: "Nazis," "terrorists"
and "Jewish murderers." Tensions esca-
lated and the situation became violent.
Shoshanna Cohen, 21, of West
Bloomfield was among the pro-Israel
group. When she saw protesters
dressed in traditional Muslim head-
dress drape a very large Palestinian flag
over an Israeli supporter, Cohen plead-
ed with them to remove it and, when
she was ignored, pulled the flag off.
When she moved to prevent the flag
from being repositioned on her fellow
protester, a female pro-Palestinian
demonstrator struck Cohen in the head.
When the situation became hostile, the
leader of the Palestinian demonstration,
Amer Zahr, announced to his group, "If
you're against the occupation, give me a
peace sign." When they did, he then told
them it was time to leave.
I walked away, disgusted by the
actions and words of some of the
Palestinian demonstrators. A predomi-
Richard Dorfman of West Bloomfield is nately Muslim group on campus called
a U-M sophomore. He is vice-president of Students Allied for Freedom and
the Jewish Resource Center.
EqUality (SAFE) organized the

Palestinian advocates calling
Palestinian rally. If you visit
me a liar and an exaggerator.
their Web site
One such e-mail came from
www.studentsallied.com you
a Muslim girl named' Saliha
will be greeted by an image of
Afridi, 20, of Chicago. After a
an Israeli soldier with his right
few e-mails in which I was
arm in the air — a clear
forced to defend myself as well
attempt to draw a parallel
as the state of Israel, a friendly
between the IDF and Nazi sol-
dialogue began to emerge.
RICHARD
diers. In my whole life, I have
I decided that if this girl was
DORFMAN
never experienced so much anti-
sincere, she would march with
Jewish feeling as I did on that
Community
me in a non-partisan rally for
day. I was determined to tell my
Views
peace on campus. This was a
peers at U-M of the unfortunate
rally for co-existence. It was going to be
events. I got home and wrote a derailed
a time where we could stand up as
account of the day's incidents and
brothers Isaac and Ishmael and proclaim
addressed it to pretty much anyone I
that we want the violence to stop. She
could think of at the time.
said that she loved the idea and I met
Sure enough, within a few hours, my
with her to begin planning our event. I
e-mail had circulated around campus
was so inspired. I began making phone
and it.was forwarded to the Muslim
calls and I achieved the support of some
Students Association and the SAFE e-
fairly powerful organizations on campus
mail list. I received countless numbers
and in metro Detroit.
of hate-filled e-mail messages from

In Search Of A Better Leader

have been absorbed into the
(erred, alas, to go to war.
state of Israel. They have just
"We lost the war, we lost
complaints, to sure„but they
land and tens of thousands of
are recognized as citizens,
our people were encouraged
vote in the elections, send
by our own leaders to go into
representatives to the parlia-
exile, clearing the ground,
ment and enjoy the same
they were told, for the antici-
social welfare benefits as their
pated victory. They and their
C ARL
Jewish neighbors.
descendants have remained
ALP ERT
"Our people wanted a state
refugees to this day.
Spe cial
of their own, and then Israeli
"We were then encouraged
Comm entary Prime Minister Barak offered
to wage guerilla warfare, and
it to them. How stupid of our
(Arab
terrorists)
the fedayeen
leadership to reject it outright and go
made life miserable for the Jews.
to war instead. Did we expect that
Then, in 1967, the blind and
our launching of a campaign of ter-
thoughtless leadership of our people
rorism against Israel would go unan-
in surrounding states decided to make
swered? Indeed, the Israelis showed
another effort to obliterate the Jews.
remarkable restraint in the face of
Again we lost, and tens of thousands
murderous assaults on their civilians
more of our people became refugees
in the heart of their cities, week after
from their homes. Those who declare
week, month after month.
war, and lose, must inevitably pay the
"My fellow Arabs and Muslims! I
price. But what kind of policy was it
call upon you to disavow this miser-
that kept these people as hapless,
able leadership, which has brought
homeless refugees when they could
you nothing but suffering and mis-
easily have been resettled and
ery. All over the world peoples have
absorbed in neighboring states?
staged revolts to oust failed leader-
"The Jews were remarkably patient
ship. Only we accept it blindly,
with us. Close to a million Arabs

Jerusalem

ow much better off the
Palestinians would be —
and the Israelis as well — if
there could arise from the
Palestinian midst a charismatic leader
with the courage to address his people
along the following lines:
,"My fellow Muslims and
Palestinians! For the sake of our
children and their future, I call
upon you to open your eyes and
realize the dreadful extent to which
you have been misled and betrayed
by that leadership that today still
clings to power despite its long
record of failures.
"0 sons of Abraham, we must rec-
ognize that the Jews, too, are of the
same descent, and we are Semitic

4/26
2002

28

Carl Alpert is a U.S. native who made
aliyah in 1952. He is former head of
Zionist Organization of America's edu-
cation department. His e-mail address is
alpert@techunix.technion.ac.il

brothers. Working together in harmo-
ny, side by side as neighbors, we can
transform the Middle East into a
flourishing Garden of Eden. For cen-
turies, Palestine was a desolate land
on which our forefathers struggled to
maintain a bare existence, until the
Jews came here and began to develop
it. They brought economic prosperity
and modern technology to such an
extent that hundreds of thousands of
our brethren from neighboring pover-
ty-stricken lands flocked here to par-
ticipate in the benefits.
"The Jews taught us, too, the glo-
ries of nationalist pride. For whom
among us in those early days had ever
thought or even dreamt of a Palestine
state? And then, in 1947, came our
great opportunity. The United
Nations decided to partition the land,
and create two states, side by side.
The Jews accepted the decision with
rejoicing, but your leaders at the time,
despite the fact that they were given
the major part of the territory, pre-

U-M students
Bryan Schon
of Oak Park,
Danny Aghion of
Cambridge, Mass.,
and David Fox of
Chicago,
display an Israeli
flag at the April 10
pro-Israel rally