In my three years at Vassar College, I have been told – by a Jewish student leader, no less – that supporting Israel is tantamount to supporting oppression. I have watched Jewish friends bullied into silence by aggressive anti-Israel activists who call the Jews racists. I have seen many anti-Semitic...
Letter: Objectivity is Necessary for Journalistic Integrity
When students plan a walk-out on a guest lecturer, The Beacon reports on it (“Students walk out of ambassador’s lecture”). A natural response to a hot topic. But rather than reporting in an objective, informative manner, The Beacon chose to publish a piece that is one-sided and inaccurate. The author...
It’s Time to Rethink Israeli-Palestinian conflict
It’s both fascinating and ironic how many people unanimously agree on one of the foundational causes of the Israel-Palestine conflict: that the Palestinians are an oppressed people. However, where we disagree is where this oppression gains life. The standard answer by the hateful and misinformed is that the Jewish presence...
Women’s Rights in the Middle East: Israel vs. The Rest
In honor of International Women’s Day, it’s important to remember that most women throughout the Middle East do not have rights as we know them. For International Women’s Day, a compilation of challenges women continue to face was released by the Associated Press. Honor killings continue to take place in the Palestinian Territories....
UN-believable
If you think of the United Nations as a beacon of light and reasoning unto the nations of the world, perhaps you should think again. The UN recently positioned Saudi Arabia as the head of a Human Rights panel. Yes, Saudi Arabia. The nation rich in oil and just as...
Letter: SGA decision promotes dialogue
Supporting peace and rejecting human rights violations may seem like an easy task, but what happens when it isn’t? When any seemingly good topic is presented without context and the full picture is not understood, how is someone to make a decision? Numerous student groups sighed with relief on Feb....
Letter: Israel Reporting Biased
“Hurt me with the truth, but never confront me with a lie,” read a poster held by a 20-something-year-old college student. The March for Truth began at Harvard Science Commons and dropped a mass of passionate ralliers at the British Consulate in Cambridge. Students from Brandeis University, Clark University, Boston University,...
When did ‘pro-Israel’ become a bad word?
Sarah Wishingrad’s recent Daily article regarding communal attitudes towards Taglit-Birthright trips to Israel features a quote from Michaela Ben Izzy, who claimed, “Birthright is pro-Israeli by nature.” My response — so what? Seeing as one of Taglit-Birthright’s stated goals is to “diminish the growing division between Israel and Jewish communities,” Ben...