The University of Missouri had recently invited Norman Finkelstein, a former professor who is notoriously not just pro-Palestine but anti-Israel, to speak on its campus. Finkelstein has been fired from several universities and he was ‘denied tenure’ at DePaul University in Chicago. He has published many extremely controversial books explaining the ‘Holocaust Industry’ and how Jews use sympathy for monetary profit; he has spoken many times on the ‘U.S.- Israel alliance’ against Palestine; he has sympathy for terrorist groups like Hezbollah; and, as you may or may not have guessed from his name, he is Jewish.
I, as well as many other Jews, have come to accept the bizarre, yet harsh, facts of reality: there are people like this out there; they do exist and they don’t like us. My question is, do I really need to be reminded of this on my own college campus? The MU Peace Studies department invited Mr. Finkelstein to speak about his latest book and attend a reception with a ‘champagne toast’ in his honor. Yes, I was offended and furious and experienced a jumble of emotions all at once. I could only have assumed that the rest of the roughly 400 Jewish students at MU (out of 28,000) were furious as well. What shocked me even more was that my assumptions were naïve – very naïve.
My anger shifted away from my university – after all, the school “is a medium for the free exchange of thoughts and ideas,†or so I was told by the MU chancellor. And I’m sure the administration has already begun the process of inviting an equally controversial speaker to marginalize the small group of African Americas or the Muslims on campus – you know, in the spirit of “exchanging thoughts and ideas†(yeah, right!).
What came as even more of a shocker was the almost non-existent response from the Jewish student community. Surely, the leading Jewish organization on campus, the Hillel Foundation, would have plenty to say and would really ‘stick it’ to our administration in such a way that they will never again use Jewish students as guinea pigs for inviting and honoring controversial and radical speakers – I can just picture some schmuck sitting at his desk and asking himself, “I wonder what would happen if…?” Well, his answer was loud and clear: NOTHING.
It was aggravating enough to think that Jewish students simply had better things to do with their time. It was ten times more disturbing when I actually received an email from Hillel ENCOURAGING students to not make a fuss and “ignore†the events at hand (that is Hillel’s “official†position). The Jewish Student Organization had a brief meeting and, with the influence of Hillel’s request, decided to look the other way from the controversy BUT write a “strongly worded†letter to the chancellor expressing their opinions.
In my opinion, Hillel has done these 400 students a HUGE disservice. The ONE organization on campus with the means and motive for fighting for the Jewish students has refused to even step in the ring! They sat on the sidelines and left nothing for the students to cheer for, except the other side.
After we graduate and enter the ‘real world,’ making a fuss about these sorts of outrages can be dangerous or risky or even time-consuming (oh no!). But here and now, on the safety of a college campus (both physically and legally), is the time to stand up for ourselves and let it be known that we do not approve, that we are offended and that the school should be ashamed of itself. Instead, Hillel sent a silent message of indifference and apathy.
Hillel should be encouraging us to take a stand for things we believe in; to show people that, even though we are here in small numbers, we are here. They should be providing the forum and the necessary tools to empower us, not sit idly by while the Jewish reputation is tarnished in a town that already has visible traces of anti-Semitism (after all, we are in the middle of Missouri and the Bible Belt).
The time is now and Hillel should know this. If they teach their students to sit quietly now, they will sit quietly always. Well beyond the years of graduation, when unfairness and adversity comes trudging their way, former students will not make a fuss and “ignore†the events at hand because they were never taught otherwise; because they never had the motivation, encouragement or the tools; because Hillel had said to “ignore†it, and so they will.
For those who are concerned, I am editor and founder of MU’s Jewish student magazine, Chai’ Times, and we decided to stage our own protest in response to Hillel and the JSO’s lack of action. We took it upon ourselves to provide a participatory medium in which Jewish students could involve themselves. We created pamphlets with information about Israel, the Holocaust and Mr. Finkelstein and passed them out his speech. About 11 students were involved, which is 11 more than would have been if we hadn’t decided to stand up for the rights and respect of the Jewish student body.
* you can check out our website at chaitimesmagazine.com
