Opinion
OTHER VIEWS
Talking About Israel With Non-Jews
R
esearch has
shown that
when a Jewish
individual talks to his or
her non-Jewish friend,
neighbor or co-worker
about Israel, even just
once in a year, the non-
Jew's support for Israel
increases.
Fifty-two percent of
Americans report hav-
ing a Jewish neighbor,
co-worker or friend. But
only 13 percent of those
people say the Jewish
person has spoken to them about
Israel!
Every person can be an effective
Israel advocate. We need to seek
out opportunities to educate.
Talking Points
Israel's Right To Exist: Israel's
right to exist is not debatable; the
state was created by the United
Nations in 1948, and has been a
member in good standing ever
since. Is there another
U.N. member whose
credentials are threat-
ened?
Peace: Most Israelis
recognize the claim
of Palestinians for a
national identity and
future state. Israelis
want peace, and most
accept a two-state
solution in which
the Jewish State of
Israel lives side-by-
side in peace with a
Palestinian state.
Fight Against Terrorism:
Israel is an ally in the United
States' fight against terrorism. In
political debate, we accept no less
than an outright condemnation of
terrorism as an immoral act.
Vibrant And Strong
Democracy: Israel is the only
liberal democracy in the Middle
East. All of its 7 million citizens
— including more than 1 mil-
lion Arabs — enjoy freedoms
of speech, religion, association,
expression and the press; free
elections with multiple parties;
separation of powers; and gender
equality.
U.S.-Israel Trading
Relationship: Israel has a
technologically advanced market
economy. It trades mainly with
the U.S. for imports, primarily of
grains, raw materials and mili-
tary equipment. Cut diamonds,
high-technology equipment and
agricultural products are Israel's
leading exports.
Israeli Accomplishments:
Israel has the world's highest per
capita ratio of university degrees,
scientists and technicians in the
workforce, scientific publications
and number of patents filed. The
cell phone, voice-mail technology
and the Pentium MMX, Centrino
and Core Duo computer chips
were developed by Israel. The pro-
portion of women among research
and development workers in Israel
is 23.4 percent, second highest in
the world.
Importance Of The U.S.
Relationship With Israel: The
U.S.-Israel relationship is key to
Israel's survival. The two countries
work together on regional defense,
against international terrorism,
combating radical fundamental-
ists, as allies in the U.N. and devel-
oping anti-missile technology.
lishment. Israelis are democratic
and want peace. Palestinians have
chosen leaders who are neither
democratic nor peaceful.
Concerning Iran: The Iranian
leader received a visa to travel
to New York so he could address
the U.N. Yet President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad threatens the U.S.,
Israel and the entire West. We must
send him and his people a mes-
sage that such belligerence won't
be tolerated. The international
community must stand together
in determination and tenacity in
this confrontation.
Threats To Israel: If we want
non-Jews to appreciate the threats
facing Israel's existence, we must
first explain the dangerous neigh-
borhood in which it lives. Israel
is surrounded by countries and
peoples who are unfriendly, if not
hostile, to Jews and Judaism. Even
though it is committed to peace,
Israel continues to struggle for its
survival six decades after its estab-
Concerning Lebanon: Jews are
deeply saddened by the tragic loss
of civilian lives on both sides. But
what would America do if rockets
were being fired from Windsor
onto Detroit? Hezbollah caused a
conflict neither the Israelis nor the
Lebanese wanted.
Israel was fighting a battle
against international terrorism
Columbia's Shame
Meanwhile, at Columbia,
President Nicholas Murray
Butler in 1933 invited Nazi
ambassador Hans Luther to
speak on campus and also
hosted a reception for him.
Luther represented "the gov-
ernment of a friendly people:'
Butler insisted. He was "entitled
to be received" with the "greatest
courtesy and respect!' Luther's
speech focused on what he char-
acterized as Hitler's peaceful
intentions.
Three years later, the
Columbia administration
announced it would send a del-
egate to Nazi Germany to take
part in the 550th anniversary
celebration of the University
of Heidelberg. Harvard did
likewise. This, despite the fact
that Heidelberg already had
been purged of Jewish faculty
members, instituted a Nazi cur-
riculum and hosted a burning of
books of Jewish authors.
"Academic relationships
have no political implications,"
Butler claimed. Many Columbia
students disagreed. The stu-
dent newspaper, the Spectator,
denounced Butler's intention to
send the delegate to Heidelberg;
and students held a "Mock
Heidelberg Festival" on campus,
complete with a bonfire and
mock book burning. "Butler
Diddles While the Books Burn:'
their signs proclaimed.
That was followed by a stu-
dent rally in front of Butler's
mansion. Butler was furious
that a leader of the rally, Robert
Burke, "delivered a speech
in which he referred to the
President [Butler] disrespect-
fully." As punishment, Burke
was permanently expelled from
Columbia.
In the late 1930s, Butler would
change his position and speak out
against the Nazis. Unfortunately, it
was too late to undo the damage
he already had done.
Inviting Nazis To Campus
Washington/JTA
I
nviting Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
to speak "is like inviting
Hitler in the 1930s:' an Israeli
official has said, in response to
the invitations extended to the
Iranian leader by the Council on
Foreign Relations and Columbia
University. Those invitations fol-
lowed, by less than two weeks,
Harvard University's hosting of
a speech by a supporter of the
Ahmadinejad regime, former
Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami.
The Israeli official's remark
was closer to the truth than
he realized. Although neither
Columbia nor Harvard invited
Hitler to speak in the 1930s,
they did the next worst thing
— they welcomed senior offi-
cials of the Hitler regime.
Thanks to recent ground-
breaking research by Professor
Stephen Norwood of the
30
October 19 • 2006
University of
Oklahoma, the
shameful details
of this Ivy League
flirtation with the
Nazis is a secret
no longer. Perhaps
it makes their
recent invitations
to Iranian officials
seem less surpris-
ing.
In May 1934, the
Harvard admin-
istration played
host to Nazi Germany's ambas-
sador to the United States, Hans
Luther. He visited Harvard's
Germanic Museum and Widener
Library. The following month,
Harvard's president, James
Conant, rolled out the red car-
pet for Hitler's foreign press
chief, Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstangl.
A graduate of Harvard's class
of 1909, Hanfstangl came for
the June 1934 commencement
and his 25th class reunion. He
had been a close ally of
Hitler's since the early
1920s, and in his new
position was responsible
for spreading Nazi pro-
paganda abroad.
Conant received the
Nazi official at a tea
for the Class of '09 in
his home. The student
newspaper, the Harvard
Crimson, even urged
the administration to
award Hanfstangl an
honorary degree "as a
mark of honor appropriate to
his high position in the govern-
ment of a friendly country"
Later that year, the Harvard
administration hosted
Germany's Boston consul gener-
al, Baron Kurt von Tippelskirch,
at a ceremony honoring Harvard
graduates who had died while
fighting in the German army
in World War I. The consul's
wreath included the infamous
Nazi swastika.