On January 11, 2022, the McGill Tribune published a staunchly anti-Zionist exposé written by senior managing editor Maya Abuali. Her premise rests on the two-pronged belief that Jewish people are not indigenous to the Levant and that Zionism is inherently racist. Unsurprisingly, she cherry-picks facts and relies heavily on uncited...
Why I think the UCL Students’ Union has Anti-Israel bias
As a Jew, I am increasingly alarmed by the atmosphere at UCL, especially since both the Students’ Union and the academic board attempted to scrap the IHRA definition of antisemitism in February 2021- dismissing anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism. To read Abigail’s full-length article, follow this link. Please note:...
A Story of Persian Jewish Resilience
I am a Persian Jew. My family fled Iran in the midst of the Islamic revolution, a violent uprising led by Ruhollah Khomeini, a religious extremist who threatened and later ethnically cleansed Iran of its religious minorities. My family’s story is one shared by Jews in Iran and countries across...
The Significance of Adopting the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
This fall, my hometown of Great Neck, New York was one of several Long Island communities that adopted the working IHRA definition of antisemitism. With a concerning rise in antisemitic incidents in cities across the United States and university campuses, the IHRA definition is an incredibly useful tool to help...
Is Wearing a Kippah Safer in Dubai than in London or Paris?
Following a recently broadcasted conversation with Fleur-Hassan Nahoum, current Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and co-founder of the UAE — Israel Business Council, I found it essential to narrow down concrete examples of the changing climate in the Middle East following the Abraham Accords, notably taking into account both the financial...
It’s Not Anti-Israel, It’s Antisemitic
In May 2021, the world witnessed a sharp escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that was partly triggered by a property dispute in Sheikh Jarrah. While Hamas launched over 4,000 rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, activists from all over the world began a wave of protests against Israel and...
Israel Slandered When Described as an Apartheid State
Penn has more than 600 student organizations – a laudable source of pride for our school. I love seeing Instagram stories and Facebook events that highlight new student initiatives in pursuit of academic honesty and exploration. However, recently, I’ve begun to see some that are very disheartening. In 2019, student...
The Chilling Scenes Outside the Israeli Embassy Show the Urgency of Tackling Antisemitism
May 18, 2021 — On Saturday I attended a protest outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, reluctantly disguised by my mandatory mask. I was disheartened, but far from surprised, to encounter many images, banners and audible chants expressing the most vicious antisemitism. Among them were countless aggressive cries of “From...