The Tripod - Editor
Issue:
3/30/04
VOID Sponsors Unproductive
Discussion
To the
Editor:
Voices Organized in Democracy has scheduled a program about the
security barrier that Israel has erected in response to the suicide bombings
that have killed hundreds of Israelis during the past few years. Hillel was
asked to co-sponsor this program. The timing of the program and the inclusion of
one particular speaker on the panel were not acceptable to Hillel. VOID insisted
on inviting Professor Mazin Qumsiyah, who believes that the State of Israel does
not have the right to exist.
We do not believe that a productive
dialogue is possible with someone who supports the destruction of the Jewish
state, and therefore we declined the co-sponsorship. We did, however, suggest a
different panelist who opposes the security barrier, Naomi Hazan. She is
a former Knesset (Israeli Parliament) member and spokesperson for the
Israeli Left who, like most Israelis, supports an eventual two-state solution to
the Arab-Israeli conflict. Unfortunately, she was unable to come to Trinity on
the day that VOID chose. We hope that Hazan will accept our invitation to
speak on campus next year. In the spirit of peacemaking, we invite any campus
organization to join us as co-sponsors in programming that seeks a reasonable
and fair solution to this tragic conflict. We believe that a just peace will
recognize the national aspirations of both Israelis and
Palestinians.
Respectfully,
Lisa
Kassow, Hillel Director
Hillel Student Board:
Dave
Alderman
Stuart Bell
Hayley Einhorn
Cheryl
Gerber
Andrew Horowitz
Sara Pflantzer
Sarah
Spiegel
Marcie Yoselevsky
Roni Zacsh