An anti-Semitic conference at an American university is arousing groundswells of objections. The University of Michigan has agreed to allow a three-day "Palestinian Solidarity" conference to be held on its grounds, beginning this coming Saturday. The conference supports a campaign to urge divestment from Israel, while its web site condemns Israel for "occupation," "colonization," and "apartheid," and claims that "racism and discrimination are inherent in Zionism."
Pro-Israel groups have organized opposition to the conference, including a "Shabbat Against Hate" at the University of Michigan this weekend with Rabbi Avi Weiss. In addition, buses will be leaving New York on Saturday night to hold a counter-demonstration.
The Detroit News newspaper, in a Sep. 29 editorial, described the conference as "a student workshop that expresses tacit support for terrorism and has as its mission the destruction of Israel." The paper asked, "Should forums that espouse hate and push to the very edge of inciting violence find a warm spot at a public university to grow their detestable ideals?" Richard Dorfman, co-founder of Michigan Student Zionists, has sued the University of Michigan for "endangering the security of students on campus by allowing the incitement of violence by these speakers." University of Michigan President Mary Coleman said recently that the conference "represents the views of the organizers and not the University of Michigan," and said that she does not support divestment.
More excerpts from the Detroit News editorial:
"Harvard's courageous president, Lawrence Summers, denounced the divestment scheme for what it is -- anti-Semitism -- and asked why Israel is being singled out while the world's true tyrannies get a pass…
"[T]he conference's mission statement condemns the "racism and discrimination inherent in Zionism" and demands Israel open its borders to a flood of Palestinian refugees. 'If the destruction of Israel as a Jewish homeland isn't anti-Semitic, what is?' asks [University regent Larry] Deitch.
"Glossing over Palestinian terrorism, the mission statement declares "it is not our place to dictate the strategies or tactics adopted by the Palestinians in their struggle for liberation." This outsourcing of morality allows the group to focus on Israel's sins while ignoring those slaughtered by Palestinian suicide bombers…
"The public part of the workshop features a long list of speakers, some of whom have been accused in the past of expressing extreme anti-Jewish views…"
Pro-Israel groups have organized opposition to the conference, including a "Shabbat Against Hate" at the University of Michigan this weekend with Rabbi Avi Weiss. In addition, buses will be leaving New York on Saturday night to hold a counter-demonstration.
The Detroit News newspaper, in a Sep. 29 editorial, described the conference as "a student workshop that expresses tacit support for terrorism and has as its mission the destruction of Israel." The paper asked, "Should forums that espouse hate and push to the very edge of inciting violence find a warm spot at a public university to grow their detestable ideals?" Richard Dorfman, co-founder of Michigan Student Zionists, has sued the University of Michigan for "endangering the security of students on campus by allowing the incitement of violence by these speakers." University of Michigan President Mary Coleman said recently that the conference "represents the views of the organizers and not the University of Michigan," and said that she does not support divestment.
More excerpts from the Detroit News editorial:
"Harvard's courageous president, Lawrence Summers, denounced the divestment scheme for what it is -- anti-Semitism -- and asked why Israel is being singled out while the world's true tyrannies get a pass…
"[T]he conference's mission statement condemns the "racism and discrimination inherent in Zionism" and demands Israel open its borders to a flood of Palestinian refugees. 'If the destruction of Israel as a Jewish homeland isn't anti-Semitic, what is?' asks [University regent Larry] Deitch.
"Glossing over Palestinian terrorism, the mission statement declares "it is not our place to dictate the strategies or tactics adopted by the Palestinians in their struggle for liberation." This outsourcing of morality allows the group to focus on Israel's sins while ignoring those slaughtered by Palestinian suicide bombers…
"The public part of the workshop features a long list of speakers, some of whom have been accused in the past of expressing extreme anti-Jewish views…"