Open Hillel and more

Welcome to my first post!

My aim is to post occasional messages with information, articles, links of interest to those who are interested in matters Jewish and Israel, particularly from the perspective of an unabashed Zionist. Trigger warning: there might be a little bashing of anti-Zionists along the way.

So ...

(1) Open Hillel

Much in the news the past week or two, bringing to life the old adage about opening one's mind so much one's brains fall out ... Some academic people believe that the campus organization, Hillel International, should open itself to sponsoring speakers and partnering with organizations that advocate the destruction of Israel. Some of these academics are at least consistent: they openly admit their hatred of Israel, so obviously opening Hillel in this way will further their agenda. Others of these academics claim they support Israel but also support Open Hill in the name of free speech blah blah. How these folks obtained their academic positions is beyond me. But then again my deficient reasoning abilities are well known.

(a) Here is an article announcing the formation of the "Academic Council" of the Open Hillel movement, led by Annoyer-in-Chief Peter Beinart:

http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/328984/peter-beinart-leads-open-hillel-push-by-55-academics/

(b) Here is an article taking an unabashed Zionist view of Beinart and his annoying minions:

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/an-open-letter-to-open-hillel/

(c) Here is Richard Cravatts' more no-holds-barred response to Open Hillel:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/18252

(d) And here, finally, for the activists among you, is SPME's petition opposing Open Hillel. I'm happy to report that at press time, the other side's "Academic Council" had 81 signatures, while our side's petition had 437. Anyhoo, if you are an academic or close enough to one, please consider signing and sharing:

http://spme.org/petitions/petition-28/?utm_source=wysija&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Statement-Petition-Open-Hillel

(2) Campus Anti-Zionism/Antisemitism

Open Hillel clearly believes there isn't enough Israel hating going on on campuses across the country. For some mild evidence that there is in fact more than enough, here are a couple of pieces about the distressing situations on two well-known campuses. These fine liberal arts colleges are not looking so fine IMHO. Nor are they alone -- the hate-wave is hitting all over. These two are just the tip of the iceberg. Read em and weep.

http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2015/11/11/the-perilous-position-of-being-jewish-and-pro-israel-at-vassar-college

http://legalinsurrection.com/2016/01/oberlin-college-alums-anti-israel-fanaticism-creating-hostile-environment-for-jews/

(3) Hasbara Time

The next time you hear the phrase "illegal settlements," feel free to (a) ask just what is this international law that everyone talks about that somehow only seems to apply to Israel, and (b) whip out this:

http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Peace/Guide/Pages/Israeli%20Settlements%20and%20International%20Law.aspx?utm_source=emailcampaign2599&utm_medium=phpList&utm_content=HTMLemail&utm_campaign

(4) Historic Palestine

And next time you hear the phrase "historic Palestine," feel free to (a) ask why no historical texts prior to (say) the late 19th century refer to the "Palestinians" (and mean Arabs thereby), and (b) whip out this 1759 map of Palestine:

http://www.israellycool.com/2015/11/14/a-map-of-palestine-from-1759/

What you notice of course is that this map divides historic Palestine into the twelve tribes of Israel. Those Zionists -- going back in time and changing history!

OK, that's it for now.
UAZ