The views expressed in this Guest Editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of The Hustler or its editorial board.
On Saturday, May 22, the newly elected Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) released a statement titled “In Solidary with Students” on their official Instagram page to express concern and sympathy towards those impacted as a result of the recent spike in violence between Israel and Palestine. Although the conflict has been widespread in mainstream media over the past few weeks, I was surprised to see a student government take a firm stance on such a complex geopolitical issue.
As a Jewish person, Israel has long been a part of my identity. I was taught from a young age about the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan which hoped to separate the land into two independent states, one for the Jews and one for the Arabs. The Jews immediately accepted the deal, rejoicing at the return of their ancestral homeland. The Arabs immediately rejected the deal and declared they would “sweep [the Jews] into the sea” with a “massacre which history will record similarly to the Mongol massacre or the wars of the Crusades.” This was not an empty threat—over the next 60 years, Israel’s neighbors would launch five different wars against the young Jewish nation and displace over 850,000 Jews that had been living across the Arab world.
While several countries have made peace in recent years with Israel, some Arab leaders still believe Jews have no right to the land. Hamas, the militant terrorist group elected to lead the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, keeps their main priority simple and even lists it in their charter: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” In the most recent uptick in violence which began on May 10, Hamas has fired over 4,300 rockets indiscriminately at Israeli civilians.
VSG’s Instagram message ignored all this, instead promulgating that Israel is an “oppressive” “anti-indigenous” nation interested in “ethnically cleansing” their Arab community specifically “during the holy month of Ramadan.” They also inexplicably chose to conflate Israel’s behavior with capitalism which feels far too close to an old-fashioned trope about Jews and money.
Of course, this type of sentiment is nothing new. From actors like Mark Ruffalo describing that Israel is committing “genocide” to members of Congress such as Ilhan Omar calling Israel a terrorist “apartheid state,” it’s normalized in our society to bash Israel by carefully omitting key details about the situation. I’ve seen this my entire life from nescient and ill-informed politicians, but never imagined I’d see it from my very own student government. What is worse was their obvious attempt to excuse their behavior by denouncing “antisemitism in all forms.” A nice thing to say, but not an excuse to spread misinformation and be as antisemitic as they would like.
While VSG did reflect on Israeli lives lost and impacted as a result of the conflict, their statement massively misrepresents the issue to defend one side and goes to great lengths to attack the other. They ignore key facts like Hamas being notorious for basing their operations and storing rockets in apartment buildings, mosques, hospitals, and even schools. VSG is correct that tragically many Palestinian children have died, but left out the detail that Israel goes to great lengths to warn those in areas they plan to strike to avoid civilian casualties. Hamas encourages these casualties to internationally undermine the pro-Israel Zionist movement and push global antisemitism. They do not value human life, only the destruction of Israel, most evident by the 20-30% of rockets they fired that fell short onto their own people.
The concern is not simply that VSG chose to criticize Israel; Israel is open to criticism like any other government. Supporting the Palestinian cause is also not antisemitic. Around half the residents of Gaza are food insecure and youth unemployment is estimated at around 70%. Palestinians truly deserve immense sympathy and support for their quality of life and for the situation their leaders have created. However, those who turn a blind eye to the role of Hamas and place all of the blame on Israel are either speaking from extreme ignorance or acting with a malicious agenda.
As a Jewish person, I know how real and dangerous antisemitism is in our country and around the world. I was taught from a young age to be aware when issues escalate between Israel and Palestine because it always correlates to a rise in global antisemitism.
I’m lucky to be from a community where antisemitism is rare, but I can’t say the same for my friends and relatives in cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Tucson, or dozens of other places that have seen upticks in antisemitism recently. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a New York-based international Jewish organization, said it has seen a “dangerous and drastic surge” in antisemitic hate crimes since the conflict broke out. All of these recent cases are part of a movement that conflates Jewish identity with Palestinian oppression.
Two particular advocates for the condemnation of this statement were Gabriela Parsons and Ester Teper, both Jewish rising seniors. The day after VSG made their post, they met with a group of students virtually to organize both a statement in response as well as a petition with several demands. Parsons and Teper expressed concern that the incoming VSG administration has and is continuing to ignore Jewish voices on campus despite their pledge to represent all students.
Parsons and Teper’s petition, which has over 1,595 signatures as of Wednesday, June 2, called for “the immediate removal of the post, a public apology to the Vanderbilt students, and the following actions: a conversation with Jewish student leaders, engagement with the Jewish community through Jewish cultural and religious events, and continuous education on Jewish persecution, trauma, history, current issues, and cultural values.” In the case that VSG fails to satisfy these calls, the petition demands the removal of those who signed the VSG statement from their respective offices.
To VSG: The Vanderbilt student body is nearly 15% Jewish, and your statement has devastated many of us. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one that can bring up strong emotions and very easily tear us apart. It is incredibly complex and nearly impossible to sum up in one article or Instagram post. We, as the Vanderbilt community, deserve more than that. We need conversation. We need dialogue. We need a willingness to come together and see the world through other perspectives. We hope that you can hear the call from your Jewish peers, recognize the harm you have caused and take the actions necessary to unify this campus.
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