Featured this week

Jewish Groups Want More Israel Scholarship

The 31 members of the Israel on Campus Coalition agreed last week to make the expansion of sholarship on Israel at American universities a priority. Speakers noted the importance of pro-Israel efforts on campus, their impact on shaping the attitudes of future leaders and the long-term effect of learning about Israel in the classroom as opposed to through advocacy. Mitchell Bard, who recently authored a study on opportunities for Israel study at 386 American universities, noted that things were improving, but there remained a long way to go. Bard reported that more than half of American universities offer no courses on Israel, and that the worst offenders are Ivy League and other top-ranked schools. (JTA)

UC Irvine: Jewish Group to Investigate Alleged Anti-Semitic Incidents on Campus
by H.G. Reza

The Hillel Foundation of Orange County announced this week that it will investigate alleged anti-Semitic incidents at UC Irvine, a campus with a history of tension between Muslim and Jewish students. The investigation will attempt to document "an alarming increase in anti-Semitism" at the school, an official with the group said. Jeffrey Epps, the foundation's executive director, blamed the Muslim Student Union for most of the alleged incidents. He said Hillel decided to form the all-Jewish task force after Muslim students disrupted a Jan. 31 lecture by Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes. It is the second investigation in two years of alleged anti-Semitism at the campus. (Los Angeles Times)
    See also UCI Chancellor Had Addressed Anti-Semitism
Spokeswoman Susan Menning said the chancellor was not available to discuss the issue due to an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. (Daily Pilot)

Central Oklahoma: Student Body President Shares Experiences of Israel
by Aaron Wright

Student Body President Michael Goodman spent eight days learning about the culture of Israel as part of Project Interchange. Project Interchange is an organization that introduces future American leaders to the Israeli culture. Only 13 students were selected. Oklahoma was the most represented state with three presidents attending. Some of the locations Goodman visited include the modern city of Tel Aviv, the ancient city of Jaffa, historic Jericho, Akko, and Haifa. The group spent most of its time in Jerusalem.  "It was one of the most incredible things I've ever done in my life," said Goodman. He said the experience forced him to step out of his comfort zone and really become immersed in a different culture. (The Vista)

Johns Hopkins: Confronting Major Ethnic Steriotypes
by Adi Elbaz

The Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel has organized a five-part films series that examines life in Israel through varying lenses, bringing Israel into campus scrutiny as more than just a hotly debated political entity. (JHUNewsletter)

NYU: Film Brings Students Together

Screenings of a documentary on radical Islam, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West,"  have brought New York University Muslim and Jewish students together - to bash the portrayal of Muslim extremism. A representative of the filmmakers says the students are in deep denial. Controversy over the film at Pace University and Brown University made headlines in recent weeks. At NYU, the screening of "Obsession" was co-sponsored by Muslim and Arab student groups and the interfaith Middle East Sustained Dialogue Group. (JTA/Baltimore Jewish Times)

Southern Methodist: Hillel Sponsors Israel Day
by Jennifer Tashman

SMU Hillel, the Jewish student's association, hosted the Second Annual Israel Day. The theme this year: "Israel: Beyond the Conflict." The event highlighted Israeli culture, music, food and different aspects of the modern state of Israel. "This event will bring to light to the fast-paced technological, medical and agricultural inventions constantly being developed in Israel," said Daniel O'Neil, co-president of SMU Hillel and founder of Ha-Shomer Israel, an Israel advocacy organization. (SMU Daily Campus)

Brandeis Donors Exact Revenge For Carter Visit
by Larry Cohler-Esses

Major donors to Brandeis University have informed the school they will no longer give it money in retaliation for its decision last month to host former President Jimmy Carter. The apparent donor crisis comes on the heels of a series of Israel-related free speech controversies on the Waltham, Mass., campus, of which Carter’s January appearance is only the latest and most high-profile. Critics of Israel last year protested President Reinharz’s removal of an art exhibit from the school library containing anti-Israeli paintings - denounced by some as crude propaganda - by youths from Palestinian refugee camps.  The university got flack from the other side when it awarded an honorary doctorate in to renowned playwright and frequent Israel critic Tony Kushner, who once referred to Israel’s founding as “a mistake.” (New York Jewish Week)

UCLA: Professor Discusses Israeli Politics
by Lucy Benz-Rogers

Yoram Peri, a professor of political sociology and communication at Tel Aviv University, offered his analysis of Israeli politics during a lecture last week in which he discussed the political trends in Israel and the ramifications of military influence in the government. "Israel is in the most severe political crisis in its history," Peri said, referring to the high turnover rate in top government positions, the large number of prominent Israeli officials under criminal investigation, and polls showing a very low level of trust among Israelis for their government.  As a result of the conflict with Hizbullah last summer, Peri explained, a large number of Israelis lost faith in their political leaders and began aligning themselves with more right-wing parties. (Daily Bruin/UCLA International Institute)

Columbia: India, Israel Forge Bond
by Jacob Shapiro

Michigan: Pastor: Israel, Blacks Are Allies
by Elise Woznicki

The Israeli people have a strong ally in the black community, Detroit Pastor Glenn Plummer said last week at a speech in Angell Hall. The evangelical leader encouraged the two groups to unite while speaking at an American Movement for Israel event last night. In his speech, Plummer thanked the Jewish people for their support during American's period of segregation and said he supports Israel. "We want you to know, we stand with Israel and will continue to stand with Israel," he said. (Michigan Daily)

Pennsylvania: Prof, Former IDF Officer, Wins Award
by Rebecca Kaplan

Professor Dan Ben-Amos says he lives a "common" life. But common by whose standards? He's conducted field studies of folklore in Africa and has served in the Israeli army as a bodyguard for David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister.  And, recently, a book he edited won the 2006 National Jewish Book Award Sephardic Culture Category. Ben-Amos, a professor in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department, began his studies as a student of English and Jewish literature in Jerusalem's Hebrew University. (Daily Pennsylvanian)

Sydney: Visiting Muslim Academic from Bangladesh Defends Israel's Existence
by Yoni Bashan

A Muslim academic from Bangladesh has called on all Muslims to accept Israel’s right to exist. Associate Professor Ehsanul Haque, 42, made the remark at the Australian Association of Jewish Studies annual conference at the University of Sydney earlier this week. Haque - whose homeland has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish State - criticized the Bangladeshi Government for being “too conservative” and rife with “extremists.” The academic openly lauded Israel’s right to statehood in his presentation, titled “The Jewish leaders: in search of a just peace with the Muslims.”   The Australian Association of Jewish Studies sponsored Haque for the conference - with the inherent risks he may face when he returns home. A lecturer of international relations at the University of Dhaka, he said anti-Israel rhetoric dominated academic debate, and said it was his duty to balance his students’ biased perspectives. (Australian Jewish News)