Defending Israel

New group seeks to counter pro-Arab propaganda.

Don Cohen

Special to the Jewish News

W

here do you stand
when it comes to tak-
ing action on behalf of
Israel? The new Michigan chapter
of StandWithUs, an international
pro-Israel advocacy and educa-
tional organization, hopes you
stand with them.
The new chapter was launched
at a public program,"Anti-Israel
Propaganda on Campus," on Jan.
29 at the Holocaust Memorial
Center in Farmington Hills. A
crowd of 170 came to hear
Michael Wissot — adjunct pro-
fessor of communications at
Pepperdine University in
California and co-author of a
national study of graduate stu-
dents' attitudes toward Israel —
and to listen to pro-Israel student
activists from Michigan colleges.
"We are well on our way with the
encouragement and dedication of
many members of the community,"
said Linda Stulberg, the Farming-
ton Hills-based organizer of SWU-
Michigan, which has partnered
with local pro-Israel advocates.
She pledged that the group
would "smartly, assertively and
publicly make a statement of

Jewish pride and a pride for
Israel."
According to the Web site
www.StandWithUs.org and a
video that was shown, in other
communities the Los Angeles-
based organization has held ral-
lies, programs and advocacy train-
ing, produced and distributed lit-
erature, developed Web sites, dis-
tributed materials to libraries and
provided support for victims of
terrorism.
Wissot said it N' v a s "emotionally
taxing" to conduct and compile
"American 2020: How the Next
Generation Views Israel" because
of Nvhat he heard during face-to-
face group interviews with the
"young opinion elite," the 150 ran-
domly selected, non-Jewish,
under-30 students from top gradu-
ate schools centered near major
urban areas: Harvard, MIT,
Columbia, Georgetown, George
Washington, Johns Hopkins, the
University of Chicago and
Northwestern. Communication
specialist and focus group guru
Frank Luntz headed the survey for
the Israel Project, the Washington-
based organization devoted to
Israel advocacy.
"This is bad stuff:" Wissot said

of the students' anti-Israel atti-
tudes, which have morphed into
similar feelings about American
Jewry and its influence.
"It runs as deep and insidious
as you can imagine in your worst
nightmare!"
Those surveyed have "never
been more opposed to Israel, to its
alliance with America and the
Jewish lobby," Wissot said, explain-
ing that many believe support for
Israel is all about Jewish political
power and Jewish money and
appeasing Jewish charges of anti-
Semitism.
"They know nothing of Middle
East history, and the facts they
claim to know are wrong," he said.
"The silver lining — we know
how to win the PR war," Wissot
said
Finding support for Israel was
mostly intellectual while
Palestinian support was mostly
emotional, Wissot stressed the
importance of personalizing,
humanizing and empathizing.
The survey results validated pre-
vious Luntz-led findings that
Americans don't want to hear
about division but rather seek an
honest, optimistic and hopeful
message of peace.

Standing Up On Campus

Don Cohen

Special to the Jewish News

T

alya Drissman of the
Wayne State University
Law

School,
Jennifer
Bloom of
Michigan
State Univer-
sity and
Jonathan
Goldberg of
the University Drissman
of Michigan spoke about their
campuses at StandWithUs-
Michigan's opening meeting.
While the degree of problems
and activity varies from campus

to campus, the panelists agreed
much work needs to be done.
Bloom, of West Bloomfield, told
how a tenured professor teach-
ing a human rights course at
MSU provided inaccurate and
inflammatory information about
Israel. Students reported his
actions and he was reprimanded
and barred from teaching the
course again. At the WSU Law
School, Drissman, of Oak Park,
said anti-Israel activity is "not
blatant; but they slip it in and
move onto the next issue." She
told of a faculty-recommended
book that referred to Palestine
as a modern nation.
Goldberg of New Jersey told
about two current challenges at

U M. In one case, a sociology stu-
dent has been working with Hillel
for more than a year to have
complaints about a teacher
addressed.
In another, an Iranian-born pro-
fessor told her class how emo-
tional the Israel-Palestinian issue
is because her husband is
Palestinian and she can't "under-
stand how a people like the
Jewish people
can go ahead
and perpetrate
the same kind
of [Nazi-style]
genocide
against anoth-
er people."
Goldberg

-

Moving Fotward

Michael Wissot

"Nothing personal-
izes it better than relat-
ing it to their frame of
reference," Wissot said.
He said the phrase
"moving forward" was
effective because people
wanted to see a solution
and know that Israel
was working for one,
and that acknowledging
Palestinian suffering
was not being weak.
"Get at the heart of
the issue and personal-
ize it in a way that is
fiat-out straight talk," he said.
He strongly suggested "Jewish
organizations need to spend
more time listening to and
understanding the needs of those
outside their communities and
circles."
Leah Colmer, who moved to
West Bloomfield from Israel two
months ago, would like to see
StandWithUs bring Israelis and
American Jews together.
"It's an organization for Israel,
but \ vhere are the Israelis?" she
asked. "I think it is very impor-
tant to not be exclusively
American: We need to use the

responded to her in class and,
with the support of his graduate
student instructor, is in the -
process of filing a complaint.
"I was lucky to have the knowl-
edge to challenge the professor.
and a cadre of students to stand
behind me," he said.
Drissman told about an ad-hoc
faculty group, led by a Wayne
State University Palestinian pro-
fessor, that brought in an anti-
Israel speaker. Pro-Israel stu-
dents wanted to question the
speaker; but the WSU professor
would not call on them, accord-
ing to Drissman. When the pro -
Israel students later handed out
materials, Drissman said the pro-
fessor branded the flyers with an
expletive and declared "that
Israel was the real terrorist."
All of the students spoke posi-

Israelis because
they are the
Linda Stulberg
cause we are
fighting for.
We need to
unite on the
parallels we
share and get
over the gap
that separates
us"
Michael
Fridman of
Livonia liked
what he heard
about the non-
profit, but
wants to see action.
"I think they have some good
ideas, but lots of other groups
talk a bit too much, but there is
not action," Fridman said.
"What we see in the news
media is pro-Arab and pro-
Muslim," he said, citing news sto-
ries whenever those communities
take offense.
"The Arabs have been more
successful by sticking it in your
face and getting a reaction. We
need to be very, very graphic in
showing what they are doing to
us."

tively of the support pro-Israel
students receive from their cam-
pus Hillels, although Goldberg
said more
could be
done at U-M.
"Their
hatred is fuel-
ing our move-
ment," Bloom
said of the
anti-Israel
Goldberg
forces, and
the others agreed. "The more
disgusting they are, the more
passionate we are.
"The largest challenge we have
is engaging apathetic Jewish stu-
dents on campus. We live in this
very comfortable bubble. We
need to bring a sense of urgency
so the security and existence of
Israel is not taken for granted." 7:

Bloom

February 2 2006

27