Semitic News and Views

–Rachel’s Blog

Interesting campus news from Northern California: a pro-Israel student senator at U.C. Berkeley, John Moghtader, has been forced into a recall vote, which he believes is due to his pro-Israel views. His critics contend that Moghtader is creating an unsafe environment on campus, through his active Zionist group Tikvah. The recall, which is costing student funds $25,000, seems to have been sparked after Moghtader was involved in taking down a Palestinian flag, which had been hung up in provocation during Israel Liberation Week.

The J of Northern California reports the story, and despite the chance that Moghtader really might lose his position due to his activism, it is extremely heartening to see some pro-Israel activity at one of the most notoriously anti-Israel campuses in the country. Hatred for Israel runs deep there, and I’m profoundly grateful to those individuals who stand firm and take the heat for their views. If you feel the same way, you can join Moghtader’s fan page on Facebook.

Elsewhere, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiment is flaring. In London this month is Britain’s Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism, gathering representatives from 42 countries to tackle the new and increasing violent anti-Semitism that has overtaken many countries after the recent Gaza conflict. JTA reports that “the number and scope of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide have risen to levels not seen since the Holocaust.” Countless Jewish communities and college students are feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

Chillingly, another major conference scheduled for April is likely to stir up even more ugly anti-Jewish backwash. The UN-sponsored Durban conference is scheduled to be held in Geneva this April. For those who remember, the first Durban conference took place in 2001 in South Africa, supposedly to combat racism, and turned unabashedly into an Israel hate-fest, as numerous nations tried to solidify language denying the Holocaust and calling Israel a racist nation. I urge you all to read the ADL’s statement on the upcoming conference and its call for all responsible nations to withdraw.