Bears for Palestine Disrupts UC Berkeley’s Vote over Condemning Their Display of Terrorists
After UC Berkeley’s Bears for Palestine put up a display honoring convicted terrorists, Rasmea Odeah and Leila Khaled, Tikvah: Students for Israel exposed them for their antisemitism and ASUC Senator Milton Zerman put forth a bill to condemn their display.
CAMERA Fellow, Maya Reuven was published in The Daily Californian, writing in detail about the incident leading up to the ASUC hearing.
The vote didn’t take place. Please watch the video below, captured by Tikvah: Students for Israel, depicting Bears for Palestine disrupting the senate hearing, intimidating the Jewish students, who were there to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
Please click the image above to view the video. The pictures are of the two victims, Eddie Joffe and Leon Kanner, who were murdered by convicted terrorist, Ramseah Odeah. The pictures were torn up by members of Bears for Palestine. Photo and video credit: Tikvah: Students for Israel.
Please read the letter below that Terry Joffe Benaryeh, the niece of Edward Joffe, wrote to the members of Tikvah: Students for Israel, after seeing the torn up pictures of her deceased uncle.
“When I first saw the reports that Bears for Palestine‘s hatred for Israel led them to threaten their fellow students and tear photographs of the deceased I was saddened and angry. It made me sick to my stomach to see photographs of my dad’s brother, Edward, torn. That hate could lead a person to do those things doesn’t surprise me after years of watching Rasmea Odeh’s supporters lionize her and attempt to spread their message in the form of hate throughout this country. I knew that after she was deported, we’d still be left with her supporters. It’s painful to see a mural of Odeh’s face in an Oakland bakery and now a photo of her face on a wall of “freedom fighters” at Berkeley.
By all means protest and work for much-needed peace in the region, but tearing up photographs of the deceased, honoring a convicted terrorist, and threatening fellow students will not bring about peace and it very clearly crosses a line.
What stood out more than anything were the courageous words honoring Edward and Leon and the brave students who showed up and remained present amidst the chaos. I watched the video over and over to see the faces of those holding images of my dad’s brother and it gave me such comfort. It brings comfort to our entire family. Thank you for standing up and speaking out. We see you. We applaud you. We are grateful to you.”
We are all grateful to the honorable and courageous students at UC Berkeley.
2020 Youth for Palestine Conference at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
From Jan. 25-26, the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)hosted the “2020 Youth for Palestine Conference” on the University of Michigan’s campus. CAMERA’s Zac Schildcrout details below how extreme this organization is, and how it’s manipulates the young generation to support terrorists and spread harmful propaganda against Israel and her citizens.
“Considering that the PYM’s driving ideology relies on an erasure of the most integral foundations of Judaism, it is hardly surprising that they espouse sympathy for antisemitic terrorists. To find proof of this, look no further than their Facebook page: On Nov. 13, members published a list of “martyrs” killed by Israeli airstrikes, which included Bahaa Salim Hasan Abu al-Atta at the top of the list. What the PYM deceitfully hides from its followers is that al-Atta was a member of the Iranian-sponsored Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)—a U.S.-designated terrorist organization whose members have pledged to “slaughter the Zionists with [their] own hands,” perpetrated multiple suicide bombings within Israel and frequently use the Gaza strip as a military base for rocket attacks aimed at Israeli civilians.
That the PYM would mention these murderers in the same breath as innocent civilians accidentally killed by Israeli airstrikes indicates a deep-seated pathology, and a willingness to tacitly support genocidal violence under the guise of Palestinian “liberation.”
Please follow the link here to read the full article in JNS.
CAMERA Fellows and Staff Provide Workshops Across North America, the UK and Israel
From Israel to England to Canada and the US, CAMERA on Campus staff and CAMERA Fellows are educating university students on how to decipher and correct inaccuracies in the media, class syllabi and by guest lecturers.
In the top photo, CAMERA’s International Campus Director, Aviva Rosenschein and CAMERA on Campus’ Israel Coordinator, Eitan Fishberger, led an op-ed writing workshop where students worked on writing an article rebutting falsehoods spread in an article published at an elite American university. The students were visiting American gap-year students at the Torah V’Avodah Yeshiva.
In the top left photo, UCL CAMERA on Campus UK Fellow, Aaron Seitler addresses the many inaccuracies found in a recent lecture presented by BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti. KCL CAMERA on Campus UK Fellow, Elliot Orenstein was published in the Algemeiner reporting on this same lecture. Read his full article here.
CAMERA on Campus UK Associate, Georgia Leatherdale Gilholy speaks with the Cambridge University Jewish Society in the top right photo.
In the bottom left corner, CAMERA on Campus Advisors. Zac Schildcrout and Yoni Michanie participated in Hillel Montreal’s 3rd Annual Israel Fair.
Finally, in the bottom right photo, CAMERA on Campus Advisor Douglas Sandoval meets with Michigan State Chabad Rabbi Benzion.
Read excerpts from CAMERA’s Campus Advisor and On-line Editor, Zac Schildcrout’s op-ed expositing Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative for whitewashing Hamas.
“There are Jews everywhere! We must attack every Jew on planet Earth! We must slaughter and kill them, with Allah’s help. … You can buy knives for five shekels! How much is the neck of a Jew worth to us? Isn’t it worth five shekels, or even less?”
This psychotic outburst was uttered on July 12, 2019 by Fathi Hammad, a member of Hamas’s “political bureau” in the Gaza Strip. Anyone who spends more than 10 minutes studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict knows that this vile organization has wreaked havoc in the Middle East since its founding in the late 1980s. Its members and allies have perpetrated hundreds of suicide bombings, launched thousands of rockets at Israeli civilian communities since the early 2000s (before any “blockade on Gaza”) and have inflicted countless stabbings, kidnappings and shootings.
Cue the Bridge Initiative: Georgetown University’s “multi-year research project” to “inform the public about Islamophobia,” which matter-of-factly described Hamas as a “political and social organization with an armed wing aimed at resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” as if purposely killing civilians is somehow a legitimate means of “resistance.” What is the context behind this flagrant whitewash? A “fact sheet” that purports to uncover the putative “Islamophobia” behind the federal government’s conviction of multiple Holy Land Foundation officials who channeled millions of dollars to Hamas-run charities. At least, this reveals the motivation behind the Bridge Initiative team’s duplicity; if Hamas can be described as anything other than the genocidal anti-Semites that they are, it becomes easier to paint the government’s efforts to hamper their cash flow as “Islamophobic.”
The 2020-2021 CAMERA on Campus Fellowship applications are now open. If you or any of your friends and relatives love to write, are willing to expose falsehoods spread in your class syllabi, and have the knowledge to counter falsehoods spread by your peers, please make sure to apply by March 1st.
CAMERA Fellows will receive a stipend for completing his/her responsibilities and will be brought to our annual four-day leadership conference in Boston.
Shai DeLuca Encourages Students to be Proud Zionists
Above: Shai Deluca speaks with High Point University students.
Shai DeLuca has spoken on dozens of campuses for CAMERA, challenging and correcting the false Israeli “pinkwashing” myth, addressing the negative stereotypes attributed to Zionists and Zionism, and helping students understand the true message behind Zionism.
Read CAMERA Campus’ UK Associate, Georgia Leatherdale Gilholy, on the “pinkwashing” canard published in the King’s College London University paper, Roar News, to learn about the dangers of this malicious lie.
Below is an excerpt from Clark University CAMERA Fellow, Monica Sager’s op-ed providing a review of Shai’s presentation at her university.
“DeLuca has faced many challenges in the Canadian entertainment industry. After various instances of harassment he finally took steps to make a bold statement. A few years ago, he commissioned a special tattoo on his arm that reads “Am Yisrael Chai,” or “the nation of Israel lives.” DeLuca explained why he did this: a protest against a publicist at his television station. His co-worker regularly targeted DeLuca for his Israeli identity even requesting that he remove all references to Israel from his social media profile.
Instead, he looked into the camera each day with the tattoo visible through his short sleeves. It was his way of standing up for himself, no matter the efforts of the publicist who attempted to pressure him to deny a part of his identity.
As a Jew and Zionist myself, I stand by DeLuca’s message. We must take pride in who we are and where we come from and never be afraid to take a stand for what is right, even in the face of injustice.”
Click here to read CAMERA Fellow, Monica Sager’s full article published in Clark University’s The Scarlet.
CAMERA on Campus Brings Leading Experts to Israeli Universities.
CAMERA on Campus Israel hosted world-renowned journalist and author Ben Dror Yemini at Hebrew University to address the systematic spread of misinformation about Israel and the serious negative impact it has on students’ perception of Israel. Please read Hebrew University CAMERA Fellow, Dov Guggenheim’s interview with Ben Dror Yemini to learn more.
Dan Diker, Director of the Political Warfare Project at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, exposed the antisemitism fueled by BDS to IDC Herzliya students. Keren Sharabani, CAMERA on Campus Israel’s IDC Fellow, spoke with Mr. Diker ahead of the CAMERA sponsored event. Please click here to read further.
Antisemitism on America’s College Campuses
More and more cases of antisemitism are found and exposed, but what has caused this dramatic increase of incidents? What are the examples of antisemitism that are creating hostile and intimidating climates for our students? CAMERA’s Yoni Michanie will describe for the South Florida community how the notoriously extreme organizations of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace are working together to enhance the demonization against Israel.
Please read a recent column by Cornell University CAMERA Fellow, Josh Eibelman, to learn about the event these two Cornell University student organizations hosted with antisemitic conspiracy theorist, Abby Martin.
Yoni will also address how, despite many university students concerning themselves with ensuring safe spaces for all students and providing everyone with a voice, there are many instances in which Jewish and Zionist students are excluded from these privileges, while their views are silenced and denigrated.
UC San Diego CAMERA Fellow, Biance Kermani, described this double-standard eloquently in her op-ed published in JNS.
“I soon came to realize that our campus had opportunities that represented my identities and advocated for their advancements. As a woman, the Women’s Center advocated for my advancement in the medical field as a student of the sciences. At my social-justice-focused college, I was provided a platform to engage in dialogue for issues that held importance for me: gun control, for instance. As a Persian American, I was able to find friends that shared the culture, could speak with me in Farsi and made me feel more at home.
Yet as close to these groups as I was, my Zionist identity would immediately compromise our relationships. Once, I became open about my support for the Jewish state, relationships completely shifted. As a woman, I was shamed for not standing with my female Palestinian peers. As someone in Thurgood Marshall College—one of the six undergraduate colleges at the University of California, San Diego—I had to now fight for my seat at the table when discussing issues of immigration, apartheid and equality; I was depicted as a supporter of the problem. As a member of the Persian community, a number of my countrymen regarded me as a traitor—not a true Persian, not a true college student, not a true woman.”
“My name is Tamar. I’m a singer and an artist, and am now in a pre army preparatory program. My dream one day is to become a film director. I made Aliyah with my parents in 2011, and now live in the #Galilee. At first it was a shock, but now I’m grateful that my parents brought me to this beautiful (though not perfect) country. I feel proud that I have the privilege to be here, knowing this is most likely what my ancestors dreamed and prayed for their whole lives. I’m a Zionist BECAUSE I am a #feministand a #progressive, not despite it. And one day, I wish to live peacefully with my Palestinian and Arab neighbors, so my kids and theirs won’t know the conflict like I do.” —@tamar_m_h_s #thisiswhatazionistlookslike#zionism#israel
“This Is What A Zionist Looks Like” is a CAMERA on Campus Instagram project which aims to show the world that Zionists come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse interests. We showcase different Zionists, their stories, their interests, and their beliefs. If you are interested in being featured, please send an e-mail to To be featured in our #ThisIsWhatAZionistLooksLike campaign, please contact eitan@camera.org.
