Guest Column from page 32
ing author Jonathan Tropper.
This year's lecture series opens
with Ira Berkow, Pulitzer Prize-
winning New York Times sports-
writer and author of the film Jews
and Baseball: An American Love Story,
who will speak on Tuesday, Sept.
20, at 7 pm. in the Student Center
Auditorium. The free event is open to
the public.
Strong Support Base
EMU Jewish Studies is deeply com-
mitted to creating relationships
between the university and the
Southeast Michigan Jewish commu-
nity. We have received enormous sup-
port from Arthur Horwitz, president
and publisher of Renaissance Media/
Detroit Jewish News, and from David
Shtulman, director of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. We
have reached out to area rabbis and to
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. Jewish friends and local
alumni like Steve Tapper and Larry
Berry have come forward with help
and advice.
I am excited to announce that EMU
is collaborating with the Holocaust
Memorial Center/Zekelman Family
Campus in Farmington Hills on a
class, "Reading the Holocaust: A
Seminar for Teachers:' which will be
offered at the HMCZFC Aug. 15-19.
Participants can take this class for
three undergraduate credits, three
graduate credits or nine continuing
education units. For information, con-
tact Julie Knutson, (734) 487-3152.
There are certainly challenges
ahead for Jewish Studies at EMU.
While Eastern Michigan University's
administration has been exceedingly
encouraging of Jewish Studies, these
are hard times for new initiatives at
public universities and some support
for programming will surely have to
come from external sources. But I am
confident that EMU Jewish Studies
will prevail.
My students at EMU are white,
black, Latino, Native American,
Middle Eastern, Asian. They include
— but are no means limited to —
Christians, Buddhists, Muslims,
Hindus, Mormons and Jews. I am
constantly astonished by how much
interest there is in Jewish life and cul-
ture across all of these groups. I am
constantly delighted by this interest
as well. Pi
Commentary
J Street Is For Real
T
he JN commentary "J Street,
For Real?" by Kobi Erez, execu-
tive director of the Zionist
Organization of America Michigan
Region, appears to be part of the ongo-
ing coordinated criticism of J Street by
the extreme right.
The ZOA supports the current gov-
ernment of Israel. That government,
with Benjamin
Netanyahu as
prime minister,
Avigdor Lieberman
as foreign minis-
ter and a group of
theocratic rabbis
who would love to
impose their view
of Judaism on the
rest of the Jewish
people, is the
most right wing
in Israel's history.
When Yitzhak Rabin was prime minis-
ter in the 1990s, the ZOA did not hesi-
tate to criticize the Israeli government
for policies that did not coincide with
the ZOA far-right perspective. When J
Street challenges Israeli government
policies from a pro-peace perspective,
such criticism is not kosher?
The July 7 ZOA Commentary [page
25] states that "since its inception,
J Street has taken actions that have
seriously harmed Israel's world image. If
This is nonsense. In fact, it is the poli-
cies of the extremist government led
by Netanyahu that have done incalcu-
lable harm to Israel. Nothing has con-
tributed to the delegitimizing of Israel
as much as the government's con-
tinued building of settlements in the
occupied territo-
ries, an act that
has been opposed
by virtually the
entire world.
In addressing
J Street's posi-
tion on the war
in Gaza during
Operation Cast
Lead, the ZOA
quotes from the
Dec. 28, 2009, J
Street statement
"neither Israelis nor Palestinians have
a monopoly on right and wrong." From
this, Mr. Erez concludes: "Thus the
leaders of J Street dared to compare
Hamas' constant rocket fire on Israeli
civilians to Israel's defensive actions
in Gaza." The statement put out by
J Street the day before that state-
ment – on Dec. 27, 2009 – shows how
ludicrous this accusation is: "While this
morning's air strikes
by the IDF [Israel
Defense Forces] in
Gaza can be under-
stood and even
justified in the wake
of recent rocket
attacks, we believe
ON
that real friends
of Israel recognize
that escalating the
conflict will prove
counterproduc-
tive ... Respecting
Israel's right to
defend itself, we
urge leaders there
to recognize that
there is no military
solution to what
is fundamentally a
political conflict."
Dry Bones StkIDAY SC14001.
WITH THE TEN
COMMANDMENTS
WRITTEN
TWO TABLETS.
0
U.N. to BDS
The ZOA
Commentary criti-
cizes J Street for
urging the U.S. not
to veto in February
the U.N. resolu-
tion that criticized
Professor Martin B. Shichtman is
director of Jewish Studies at Eastern
Michigan University in Ypsilanti. For more
information about Jewish Studies at EMU,
contact martin.shichtman@emich.edu .
Israel's "occupation of Judea and
Samaria." Actually, the resolution con-
cerned the government's settlement
policy although J Street fundamentally
opposes the occupation. J Street's
position, as stated on its website, is:
"We do believe that Israel has been
unfairly singled out at the U.N. and
never hope to see Israel publicly taken
to task in that forum. However, we
argued that – if the resolution came to
a vote – it would undermine America's
credibility and policy to veto a resolu-
tion that so closely tracked U.S. policy
across eight bipartisan administrations
and called on both parties to take nec-
essary steps for peace."
The ZOA rebukes J Street for pre-
senting at its national conference
Rebecca Vilkomerson of Jewish Voice
for Peace in support of the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions movement
(BDS). Mr. Erez characterizes her as
one of its "keynote speakers." In real-
ity, she was one participant of many in
a single workshop. J Street states on
its website: "It serves the long-term
health and vibrancy of our community
to engage on the substance of these
issues even – and especially – when
we have fundamental disagreements
with some of the individuals or organi-
zations we debate."
Commentary on page 34
standing
guard
For Israel
And Our Jewish
Community
When you have a chance in casual
conversations, explain to your
friends, neighbors and co-workers
the difference between legitimate
criticism of Israel and delegitimizing
Israel (e.g., comparison to apartheid,
charge as war criminal, using Nazi
imagery, holding a standard not used to
judge other nations).
Prepared by Allan Gale, Jewish
Community Relations Council of
Metropolitan Detroit
© July 21, 2011, Jewish Renaissance Media
www.drybonesblog.com
July 21 • 2011
33