On Campus: Hillel's Views

Email Conversation between student Michael and Steven Wagner, Campus Coordinator- Calgary Hillel

Subject: "Dear Hillel Members, U of C Students and other concerned Israel activists;

It has come to my attention that people have been tearing-down posters promoting this year’s Palestine Awareness Week. Each year, the Palestinian Canadian Student Society (PCSS) puts on a week-long program promoting awareness for Palestinian culture, as well as human rights issues. Calgary Hillel and the PCSS have had a positive relationship for a number of years already. In order to highlight this point, I would add that the University of Calgary is the only major Canadian campus with such positive relations. It is not in our interests to change the peaceful and tolerant atmosphere we have at the University of Calgary – where Jewish and Zionist students feel safe to be themselves and express themselves. Tearing-down the PCSS’ posters and replacing them with posters meant to jab the PCSS or the Palestinian human rights movement goes against the policy of Calgary Hillel. If our members have been doing this, we ask you to please stop it. If our members know who is doing this, we request that you please stop them. Tearing down their posters is in contravention to Hillel’s understandings with the PCSS about conduct on campus, and jeopardizes the peaceful atmosphere we have at U of C. It must stop now. As a final note, I will add that if you are interested in Israel advocacy, to please contact the Hillel board at hillel@ucalgary.ca. We are always looking for volunteers and new programs.

Thank you for your understanding, and cooperation.
Steven Wagner Campus Coordinator- Calgary Hillel

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Reply:

The majority of Palistineans who support "human rights and palistinean culture" also support Hamas, Islam (inherently anti jew) and islamic colonization. There is no such thing as palistinean culture. There is no such thing as palistineans before the 20th century. Palistineans are a made up people. You may think short term safety and comfort at U of C is worth accepting the lie of the palistinean people. However in so doing you are supporting the root cause of the conflict in Israel. The "west bank" is actually JUDEA. Gaza is actually part of Samaria. Truth may make your environment uncomfortable but I ask you are the people who get blown up by these Islamists comfortable? Get real. I have nothing to do with tearing down posters but the truth must be told. Im sure you have been told to give the message out on behalf of Hillel. Dont take it personal. Where was Hillel at the last Aryan Guard march?

Michael
Canada/Calgary

Full Film: Rabbi Tendler on Temple Mount

(co-starring your humble and lucky servant Yishai Fleisher)

"Financial Crisis Leading to Immigration Surge"

"Advocacy groups: Financial crisis leading to immigration surge from West"
by Raphael Ahren from Haaretz

The financial crisis has "drastically" increased Western Jews' interest in immigrating to Israel, several immigration advocacy groups said this week. It is not clear whether the additional inquiries will translate into actual immigrants, the groups emphasized, yet they are bracing themselves for unprecedented numbers of new arrivals this summer. However, these predictions meet a measure of academic skepticism.

"Literally all over the world, we have registered a significantly higher interest," said Noga Maliniak, the director of the Jewish Agency's aliyah division. "Some of our offices received double the amount of inquiries." Nefesh B'Nefesh, which assists British and North American immigrants, expressed similar experiences. During the period from September 1 until December 31, 2008 - the first four months of the crisis - NBN's call center recorded 2,947 inquires, while during the same period in 2007 only 1,398 people called, an increase of 111 percent. Downloads of immigration applications more than doubled from 300 in February 2008 to 750 last month.

"We won't be able to tell whether this dramatic surge in interest will translate into real numbers of immigrants before July or August, when people actually arrive," said Danny Oberman, NBN's executive vice president of Israeli operations. "It is difficult to make an exact prediction, but there will definitely be a huge increase in aliyah."

"The economic crisis has had a tremendous effect on aliyah," another NBN spokesperson told Anglo File. "It has shaken Diaspora Jewry and caused aliyah-minded individuals to reconsider their time line. We have seen an increase in the number of people who are attending our pre-aliyah seminars, workshops and one-on-one meetings who have mentioned that the economic crisis has led them to expedite their plans."

Oberman speaks of three population groups driven by the current economic climate to consider aliyah: College graduates and young couples who cannot find a job and are no longer able to keep up with the cost of living, as well as finance, marketing and high tech professionals who are either laid off or perceive dim financial prospects. "Above all, the financial crisis causes people to focus on their values," he added. "It's dramatically shaking up people's thoughts on how and where they see themselves."

Yishai Fleisher, the founder of pro-aliyah group Kumah, also expects the number of Western immigrants to rise. He attributes this trend not only to the economic downturn but also to "a lessening of social comfort for American Jews through the advent of the Muslim influx into the U.S., the rise of the Obama administration and scandals such as [the multi-billion dollar swindle committed by Bernie] Madoff."

Fleisher added that he sees young Jews coming in particular. "They are in it for the romance," he said. "Israel provides a life of challenge and an adventure, and that is why almost all NBN flights have young, cool college kids on board."

But not everybody agrees with these predictions. Sociologist Chaim Waxman, a former Jewish studies professor at Rutgers, told Anglo File that he suspects the economic situation to have a negative effect on Western aliyah. "This is in contrast to what some people in the Jewish Agency and other places are expecting, but I think they're very wrong," he said. "Their rationale is that when people are having difficulties they would be more likely to make aliyah, because the economic situation seems to be better here - I am sorry, I just don't see it. The fact of the matter is: the areas where potential [immigrants] work in are especially suffering here."

Waxman, who himself recently made aliyah, said he "love[s] the work that NBN does" but that he has never been able to substantiate its predictions. "Their data is usually much higher than that coming from the Central Bureau of Statistics or any place else."

He added, however, that the financial crunch could potentially draw Israelis living abroad back home. "If the situation is equally bad here and there, many of them might come back," Waxman said. "People prefer the place they are used to, so Israelis might come home but American Jews will probably stay where they are."