Tag Archives: palestinians with israeli citizenship

Emotion, experience and academic distance?

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in Courses

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Yesterday I attended the Middle East Studies Association meeting in which panelists and members discussed the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, in front of a meeting tomorrow to consider the Association joining the movement somehow. Professor Noura Erekat of George Mason University spoke in favor and Professor Ilan Troen of Brandeis University spoke against BDS. Then various professors and graduate students in the audience advocated for or against the idea of boycotting, divesting from, and sanctioning Israel.

A few interesting points. Professor Erekat thinks a. Israel is treating Palestinians terribly (war on Gaza, settlements, ethnic cleansing of East Jerusalem, the wall on West Bank land, etc.) b. all other options have failed and therefore c. MESA should support the BDS movement, even though it is only “a pathetic counterforce.” Professor Troen argues that a. Israeli Palestinians are well integrated into the Israeli educational system (1/3 Haifa U students are Palestinian, 22% of pre-med students are Palestinians, the most successful school is in the Arab triangle, there are many outreach programs for Palestinians) and Jews are native to the land, so this is not apartheid, b. academic organizations should not take stances on difficult political issues that are not apartheid and therefore c. MESA should not support the BDS movement.

Other speakers joined the debate. Several anti-BDS speakers argued hypocrisy, or in the words of one (Prof. Josh Teitelbaum) the “soft bigotry of low expectations” that we don’t discuss boycotting Libya, Iran, the corrupt PA, etc. Another argued that “BDS is an extension of warfare,” not a peaceful move. A conflicted Israeli professor argued that he does not want to be cut out of his “home” in MESA, but that “we need pressure from the outside. It is legitimate – I don’t see any internal force in my country that will change the situation.” Pro-BDS speakers, especially Professor Judith Tucker, noted that MESA can tailor its type of BDS and not isolate Israeli colleagues.

The room, I believe, held Israeli actions primarily responsible for the situation of the Palestinians, as indicated by applause when speakers pointed out Israeli injustice. Most of the discussion was polite. Several comments caused significant muttering disapproval. One was when Prof. Teitelbaum called BDS anti-Semitic, another when Prof. Troen’s responses to questions were heard as unrealistically portraying Palestinian Israelis as happy and successful. By far the most censure (perhaps disappointment?), however, was expressed against the pro-BDS Professor Lisa Hajjar when she described Prof. Troen as having limited intellectual ability. (Those words may not be exactly right, but they are close.) People were quite upset by that ad hominem attack, which she said that she “withdrew.”

When does it become incumbent on an organization of academics to take a political (ethical? moral?) stance? When is consensus a form of working together in unity, and when is it enforcing conformity?

Emphasis on Israeli identity

07 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in Fulbright project

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Dr. Neal Sherman, director of the United States – Israeli Educational Foundation, gave me a different view on the relative lack of comparative religious education (or cross-cultural education more broadly) in the Israeli schools. It is not that we are opposed to teaching about other cultures, he suggested – we are more focused and, indeed, worried about our children retaining their Israeli identity and appreciating the aspects of the Zionist project that make it special. Dr. Neal Sherman put it this way: “One reason I came to Israel is because I was inspired by the ideas of the kibbutz and the moshav. I’m not sure that my kids even understand the idea of a moshav.” This rings true for me in what I’ve read.

Dr. Sherman noted that whether or not cross-cultural topics were being taught in the schools, there seemed to his eye to be more visible overlap between the Arab and Jewish communities, at least in the North. “It used to be rare to see Arabs in Ra’anana, and now it is common to see middle class Arab families at the mall.” His colleague Judy Stavsky said the same was true of Herzliya. Dr. Sherman suggested that the Arab Israeli leadership was nervous about anything that showed that Arabs could build a good life inside a state that defined itself as Jewish, but that this might be happening more and more. He gave the example of the leadership objecting to the idea of voluntary national service for Arab Israelis, despite the fact that this could be economically beneficial and culturally integrative for the Arabs. He noted that the leadership kept coming back to the idea that these integrative moves might undermine Arab identity.

I did not think of it at the time, but I now note one interesting tension in Dr. Sherman’s thoughts. He articulated very clearly the desire of Jewish Israelis to maintain their identity. He seemed to suggest, however, that Palestinians with Israeli citizenship should give priority to a happy integrated private life in Israel over their Palestinian and Arab identities. I wonder how he would respond to this seeming contradiction?