Ha'Am Fall 2014 — The Identity Issue

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Identity Issue

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Page 2 Fall 2014

[Opening]

Table of Contents 4-6

Opinion Compromise or get compromised: targeting Jewish leaders on campus .......................................... 4-5

by Noah Wallace

Are we breeding a society of takers? ............................................ 6

by Angelina Ellyason

7

Jewish Society Thanksgiving every day .............................................................. 7

by Briana Begelfer

8

Feature A source of connection: food, family, and Hadassah ....................... 8

by Rachel Moreh

9-15

Campus Life UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies: a post-AMCHA look .......... 9

by Devorah Friedman

Comic: Home .................................................................. 10-11

by Amir Naveh

Batsheva Dance Company at Royce Hall: dancing with the ground, falling to the stars ........................ 12-13

by Moshe Kahn

Cover art by Amir Naveh

Campus rabbis: the mensches and martyrs of UCLA ............... 14-15

by Tessa Nath

16-20

Israel Remembering Yitzhak Rabin ............................................. 16-17

by Rivka Cohen

Is protesting enough? ........................................................... 18

by Jasmin Boodaie

Crossword: all about Israel ..................................................... 18

by Ellie Fridman

Anti-Israel media bias around the world and around campus........ 19

by Sepehr Hakakian

Debate Table: is Israel a Jewish state?

No. But it can be ................................................................... 20

by Yaacov Tarko

Debate Table: is Israel a Jewish state?

Yes ..................................................................................... 20

by Rivka Cohen

Page 3

[Opening]

Ha’Am Fall 2014 Stav 5775

Editor-in-Chief Tessa Nath Managing Editors Devorah Friedman (Internal) Elyssa Schlossberg (External) Layout and Design Editors Nicole Rudolph M Moore (Intern) App Manager Nicole Rudolph Social Media Managers Angelina Ellyason Rachel Moreh (Intern)

Fall 2014

About Ha’Am Ha’Am is the official student-run Jewish newsmagazine at UCLA. We cater to a mainly college-age audience, with the distinct goal of uniting diverse Jewish communities through intelligent debate, maintaining the Talmudic tradition that has sustained our people throughout the millennia. We seek the unique Jewish voice in ageold arguments and perspectives, highlighting what makes the Jews of today exceptional through our articles, personality profiles, and pro-con discussions. We celebrate the intersections of religious and secular life that exist within each Jewish student and writer.

This isn’t your grandmother’s Judaism — this is Ha’Am today.

(Please note that individual opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Ha’Am as a whole.)

Web Design Manager Nathan Aclander Content Editors Angelina Ellyason (Head) Jasmin Boodaie Rivka Cohen Amir Naveh Copy Editors Simone Dvoskin (Head) Ellie Fridman Nicole Rudolph Noah Wallace Staff Writers Briana Begelfer Moshe Kahn Rachel Moreh Sepehr Hakakian Yaacov Tarko Staff Photographer Rebecca Zaghi Staff Artists Briana Begelfer Angelina Ellyason Amir Naveh M Moore Cruciverbalists Ellie Fridman Daniel Peikes Business Intern Jasmin Boodaie

www.haam.org

Ha’Am is always looking for talented writers, editors, designers, photographers, illustrators, sales representatives, creative thinkers, and skilled debaters. Look us up on Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail haam@media.ucla.edu to give us your feedback or to get more involved. Or visit our website at www.haam.org for even more articles.

For a look at this issue in full color, visit www.haam.com/print-issues/

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All opinions expressed in this newsmagazine are solely that of the author, not of the Ha’Am Editorial Board or the UCLA Communications Board. Letters to the editor should be directed to haam@ media.ucla.edu

Page 4

[Opinion]

Fall 2014

Compromise or get compromised Targeting Jewish leaders on campus Noah Wallace Copy Editor

Illustration by Amir Naveh

Page 5

[Opinion]

Fall 2014

Do political motives — no matter the fire that drives them — vindicate attempts to violate the right to privacy?

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Politics are a big deal everywhere, but they’re a huge deal at UCLA. Student government candidates, for example, go to great lengths to promote their elections, swallowing Facebook feeds with flawless photos in front of

students involved in Hillel, anonymous per their requests to remain as such, were victims during last year’s divestment resolution). Rather, the issue with this entire controversy is the right to privacy. Before asking, “Why would some-

..the first questions anyone should be asking are ‘How was this private, sensitive e-mail obtained?’ and ‘Why would any media outlet publish the e-mail?’”

Royce Hall and inundating Bruin Walk with campaign posters. School administrators, for instance, engage with state government leaders to discuss school policy and to lobby for more funding.

Student media outlets endorse student government candidates in the same way national media outlets would endorse candidates for federal elections, perhaps thereby exaggerating the importance of student government. And student organizations, hoping to achieve progress in the policy areas about which they are most passionate, demonstrate on Bruin Walk, publish opinion pieces in student media outlets, develop social media campaigns, and ... sabotage political opponents?

On Oct. 29, the Daily Bruin published an article exposing Hillel at UCLA’s consultation with 30 Point Strategies — a public re-

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one oppose divestment, a movement that (purportedly) promotes human rights?” or “Why would a student organization consult and pay an outside organization?” the first questions anyone should ask are “How was this private, sensitive e-mail obtained?” and “Why would any media outlet publish the e-mail?”

According to the same article, the Daily Bruin obtained the e-mail from Alex Kane, an assistant editor at Mondoweiss, the self-described “liberal, progressive” Jewish news website that first broke the story. When contacted, Kane revealed that the email “was leaked” to Mondoweiss, but declined to comment on who leaked it.

Rabbi Aaron Lerner, the victim of the leak, expressed his belief that he was hacked, citing the “twenty character, randomized password and two-step email verification” he uses to emphasize

Rabbi Aaron Lerner, the victim of the leak, expressed his belief that he was hacked, citing the ‘twenty character, randomized password and two-step e-mail verification’ he uses to emphasize the difficulty anyone would have accessing his e-mail manually.”

lations firm — about how best to deal with a forthcoming student government resolution regarded by many in the Jewish community to be anti-Israel. The resolution calls for the UC to divest from companies in which it invests, that conduct business which profits from the alleged violation of Palestinian human rights. The article cited an e-mail exchange between Rabbi Aaron Lerner, senior Jewish educator at Hillel, and Arielle Poleg, media and client manager of 30 Point strategies.

While a host of questions arise from the situation, the issue is not the ethical or logical nature of divestment; nor is it the fact that a campus organization pursues outside help to protect the students it represents from foul invective and emotional abuse (of which some

the difficulty anyone would have accessing his e-mail manually. The conclusion that someone accessed his e-mail by circumventing these protections seems plausible, since the only other way the e-mail could have been released was if someone copied on the e-mail had then shared it with the media. However, the only recipient of Lerner’s e-mail was an employee of 30 Point Strategies, which “does not comment on its client work,” according to a quote obtained by Mondoweiss from Josh Silberberg, director of public media at 30 Point Strategies.

Rabbi Lerner’s case, unfortunately, does not represent the only leak plaguing Jewish communal leaders at UCLA. Over the summer, after his personal e-mails and GroupMe messages were published in the

Daily Bruin and the Daily Californian, student regent-designate nominee Avi Oved was accused of violating political campaign funding rules and proceeding to cover up his alleged wrongdoing. Unlike Rabbi Lerner’s case, it is unclear whether Oved’s private messages were accessed by a third party or released to a media member from an adviser or staffer privy to his account. Oved has since been confirmed as UC student regent, and told Ha’Am, as well as the rest of the UC community in an open letter published by UC Davis’ The Aggie, that he is ready to move forward. In his term, he hopes to achieve greater state funding for the UC and augment mental health resources across all campuses.

Despite Oved’s resilience and positivity, according to the Wallen & Klarish

“

detailing Hillel’s specific organizational plans does not qualify as serving a legitimate public interest, because the release of the information in no way enhances the common welfare at UCLA, and it frankly does not clearly benefit anyone at all, much less a majority of the UCLA community.

Still, even if the legal argument is not convincing, consider its ethical counterpart. Where are we as a school, even as a society, when the compromise of private information on a private e-mail account is justified to achieve a political objective? Presuming Rabbi Lerner was hacked by someone who champions the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (as the rabbi and ample circumstantial evidence suggest), is push-

California Penal Code Section 502 ‘criminalize[s] the unauthorized taking or copying of data and information from a computer, computer system, or computer network.’”

Law Corporation, California Penal Code Section 502 “criminalize[s] the unauthorized taking or copying of data and information from a computer, computer system, or computer network.” A breach of an e-mail account and dissemination of the private information therein, as in Lerner’s case, would clearly constitute an “unauthorized taking [...] of information.”

However, even if Rabbi Lerner is somehow incorrect in his presumption that his account was hacked — which is unlikely given the lack of other plausible explanations for the leak — legally, Mondoweiss should not have published that private information. According to the Digital Media Law Project, an initiative produced by Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, private information is strictly

“

ing for divestment so important that its supporters will violate a basic human right in personal privacy?

And more, is it not egregiously ironic that a supporter of the BDS movement — which professes to champion human rights — violates one of the most fundamental and sacred human rights to privacy, just to make political progress?

There is no political cause great enough to justify the violation of the privacy of another individual. Privacy is a sacred right; it protects us from unfair judgement, it affirms our personal autonomy, and it preserves our human dignity. If any cause were great enough to justify the violation of privacy to advance it, every cause could be.

Our society could look much less like an open domain in which ideas and thoughts can either be shared or withheld, and much more like an Orwellian dystopia in which

Is it not egregiously ironic that a supporter of the BDS movement — which professes to champion human rights — violates one of the most fundamental and sacred human rights in privacy, just to make political progress?”

protected under federal law and is only permissible to release to the public if it serves a “legitimate public interest.”

No matter how staunchly detractors may argue otherwise, a personal e-mail

nothing may remain personal. I am thankful our society does not currently resemble the latter condition, and am hopeful, despite this concerning chain of events, that we are not headed in that direction.

Page 6 Fall 2014

[Opinion]

Are we breeding a society of Angelina Ellyason

Social Media Manager, Content Editor and Staff Artist Roughly 12% of UCLA’s student population is Jewish, and these 3,000 or so students may be the luckiest across the nation.

They are not only supported by a vast network of Jewish Bruins, but also by various organizations that exist to uphold a Jewish environment just for them. The chief triad of these organizations consists of Chabad, JAM and Hillel (but even within Hillel, there are a myriad of factions, and outside of this trio are other social organizations, such as Sigma/Alpha Epsilon Pi).

Although these three major organizations are not contending, per se, there is a sense of healthy competition to involve as many Jewish students as possible.

Just like the market, Jewish services are very much “sold” to students in terms of highest quality for lowest cost. Except, there rarely is a cost at all. Shabbat and chagim meals are almost always free for Jewish Bruins — even for their non-Jewish cohorts. Study groups and one-on-one learning sessions are also available for no charge and include food. For example, you can stop by for “Parsha and Pizza” with Chabad Rabbi Dovid Gurevich on Thursdays, learn with Hillel Rebbetzin Sharona Kaplan during the week over Coffee Bean, or bake challah and enjoy a dinner on Wednesdays with JAM. If free food is not enough of an incentive to keep Judaism afloat in the daily life of a Bruin, perhaps being paid to participate is. JAM’s Maimonides program offers a stipend of $300 for students who attend weekly learning seminars, as well as a Shabbaton in Hancock Park; Chabad’s Sinai Scholars Society offers $350 for attending weekly classes on the Ten Commandments and writing a research paper.

It goes without saying that participants are also fed at the programs, free of charge.

These free even opportunities extend well beyond UCLA. Birthright, for instance, sends Jewish young adults to the Holy Land and gives them a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for absolutely no cost. Next, a Birthright affiliate reimburses students up to $14 a guest for hosting their own Shabbat meals. AIPAC allows student delegates (both Jewish and non-Jewish) to travel to its conference in DC without spending a penny on the $600 tickets or lodging; Hillel even reimburses students for a portion of their airfare. Jerusalem University offers students free online video courses on topics ranging from Jewish Cinema to Positive Jewish Psychology, and a $100 stipend upon completion.

As wonderful as these services are, it is

time students shake themselves from their zombie-like “take-mode” and realize they have an obligation to give back. The truth is that these services are not actually free.

As we all learned in high school economics, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

We may not be paying for these experiences, but someone else is. Nevertheless, we are obligated to pay our donors back in

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services are so rampantly available.

It is no secret that college campuses are essentially an agar plate for assimilation to feed off of and thrive in. Students leave their Jewish-oriented homes and enter a comparatively secular environment where abandoning the Jewish faith is incredibly easy — and increasingly appealing.

It’s somewhat understandable: the kosher

As wonderful as these services are, it is time students shake themselves from their zombie-like ‘take-mode’ and realize they have an obligation to give back. The truth is that these services are not actually free.”

nonmonetary ways.

I am not suggesting every Jew becomes Bal Tshuva (or religious). What I am suggesting, however, is that Jewish students who take advantage of these resources (as they should!) should be more conscientious of the efforts put into making Jewish life so accessible for us. We can start by understanding why these

chicken costs twice as much as the non-kosher one at Trader Joe’s, and studying for Chem 14D seems to be a better use of time than lounging around all Shabbat. The frat party during Sukkot is more exciting than sitting in a hut all night, and it’s much easier to crush on that gorgeous goy in Anthro 120 than the Jewish boy your bubby would approve of. College offers so many distrac-

Illustration by Angelina Ellyason

takers? tions, and practicing Judaism can become burdensome, expensive and inconvenient.

However, college is where we develop our sense of self and decide the kind of lives we want to lead, and with whom. The choices we make in these four years can pave the road ahead, and have real consequences — not just in our own lives, but for American Jewry as a whole. Assimilation is a real threat. As a result, college can be a make it or break it experience when it comes to Judaism.

The fear of a gradual Jewish extinction is why I believe there are so many organizations offering free services to Jewish students. Jews cannot afford to lose any more of their already small population, so it is important to keep the community tight-knit and close to its roots.

So now the question becomes, do these services actually contribute to creating a stronger Jewish community? Or have they merely bred a society of takers? I’d like to stay optimistic and think that the Jewish community at UCLA is admirable for its tikkun olam efforts and overall unity. I am very proud of us as a whole, but I cannot ignore the reality: why is it that when something is offered to us, we run towards it, but when it comes to giving back, we run away?

College is our time to find ourselves, and we therefore believe that it’s in our job description to be selfish during these four years. But it’s not. It’s our job to cultivate ourselves into productive members of society. It is our job to learn and grow into something greater in the future. It’s our job to take as much are we are able to give back, if not more.

My suggestion is to start small. When you’re at a free Shabbat meal, pour your neighbor a cup of water before pouring one for yourself. When the organization of your preference is hosting a fundraiser, contribute chai ($18, about how much you’d actually spend for the food they provide you with).

During chagim, send “Chag Sameach” messages to the Jewish Bruins you appreciate. Create a community based on something other than taking — namely, giving.

Yes, we are millennials, a global generation. Yes, we are known for our entitlement and narcissism. But we cannot let this trait define our greater roles and purpose in this world. We must not turn into a society of takers. We must forever be a light unto the nations.

Page 7

[Jewish Society]

Fall 2014

Thanksgiving every day Briana Begelfer

Staff Writer and Staff Artist We’ve all heard an awesome joke or idea we couldn’t wait to tell over, but how often are we jumping at the opportunity to give credit where it is due? Often times, it’s much more tempting to sidestep the reference and let everyone think that we’re the brilliant ones. Our egos work hard to thwart our humility, to make it difficult to apologize to those we’ve hurt, to admit to being wrong, to say perhaps thank you to those who have helped us. The discomfort stems from our desire to feel independent and the focus we put on individual accomplishment.

I think that the occasional discomfort we feel from receiving can be healthy.

We’re lying to ourselves if we think we are the sole drivers of our success. Aristotle puts it point-blank, “Anyone who is so self-sufficient…and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.” Enough said. We need each other, whether we like it or not.

It’s comforting to know that we Americans have done well to show our gratitude. Our calendars are dotted with many days of thanks, whether it be Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, Labor Day, Mother’s Day, or the day to love it all— Thanksgiving.

But as American Jews this list is far from exhaustive. Jewish tradition holds that a name carries within it the essence of an individual, the quality a person is meant to aspire to. Jews, Yehudim (in Hebrew), are named after the tribe of Yehudah (Judah), whose name is rooted in the Hebrew word to “thank” or “praise.”

With such roots, it comes as no coincidence that Judaism has a blessing for practically everything. Ate a sandwich?

We have a blessing for that. Opened

your eyes this morning? There’s a blessing for that, too. Successful bathroom run? Be grateful that your body is working properly! Judaism holds that there is absolutely nothing to be taken for granted—big or small, common or miraculous, seemingly good or seemingly bad. Every day is supposed to be Thanksgiving.

Of all the daily reminders to be grateful, however, there is one commandment in the Torah that especially exemplifies the Jewish perspective on thankfulness—the mitzvah (commandment) of Bikkurim, the annual harvest offering. During the Temple era, this mitzvah required farmers to bring their first harvested fruits to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and to recite a passage thanking G-d for the land and for the

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which enables us to count our blessings.” Being grateful just isn’t in the school curriculum. Manners, maybe. But gratitude?

During my first trip to Israel a few years ago, I was blown away by a community that excels in the pursuit of developing gratitude. The Orthodox Jews I interacted with could not get through a conversation without a “Thank G-d this” or a “Thank G-d that.” And to be completely honest, at first I found it very uncomfortable and even a bit annoying—couldn’t we just get through a normal conversation without all these religious declarations?

Four months into my trip, thank G-d, I learned better. Yes, these people were

Judaism holds that there is absolutely nothing to be taken for granted — big or small, common or miraculous, seemingly good or seemingly bad. Every day is supposed to be Thanksgiving.”

bounty. There is an ancient commentary that goes so far as to say that the entire world was created so that the Jewish people could fulfill this mitzvah (Genesis Rabbah 1:4).

Bold as such a statement may be, it is beautifully fitting. The mitzvah stresses the point that being grateful isn’t something to be taken lightly. Sure, Israel is our land, but only on the condition that we continue to acknowledge the immense blessing that it is. Unfortunately for us, as put by philosopher Eric Hoffer, “the hardest arithmetic to master is that

ultra-obsessed with the concept of gratitude. And not just for the good things— for all the boring details, for the ordinary daily events, even for the occasional curve-ball that caught them off guard.

They were thankful for it all because for them, it wasn’t just about being religious.

It was about developing a sensitivity for appreciating life.

There was a famous story that I heard at a Shabbat table during my stay in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was about Rabbi Shimon Schwab, a communal leader in the Washington Heights neighborhood of

Illustration by Briana Begelfer

Manhattan, who was crippled during the last ten years of his life. The story goes that despite the difficult years before his passing, he was known to have always maintained his serene smile and appreciation for life. When asked how he never complained since the loss of his legs, Rabbi Schwab answered, “If someone gave you a gift of a million dollars, and seventy years later he asked for a hundred dollars back…would you feel resentful? Or bitter? Of course not. Because there were so many investments you were able to make with such a gift, so many amazing experiences you were blessed to have. Of course you’re happy to give a hundred dollars back.”

He continued, “That’s the way I look at my legs — in the context of my life.”

Sometimes the greatest truths in life are the simple ones we already know, but have somehow forgotten along the way. A little reminder never hurts. As Rabbi Jonathon Rietti of the Jewish Inspiration organization says, “If there’s a today, there’s something good to be found in it.” Let’s hope we choose to find it.

Generation Progress funds, trains, and mentors students running a diverse and growing group of progressive campus media organizations. For more, visit GenProgress.org/ about/journalism-network/jn-overview/

Page 8 Fall 2014

[Feature]

A source of connection: food, family and Hadassah Rachel Moreh

Staff Writer and Social Media Intern

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As my grandmother Esther Moreh remembers, growing up in Iran under the monarchy was a progressive time. In the 1920’s, up until the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the country offered much promise to an Iranian Jewish woman. My grandmother was an activist and pioneer for Israel, paving many opportunities for other Jewish Iranian women while raising awareness for Israel through the Jewish women’s Zionist organization, Hadassah. She was able to freely speak her mind and voice her opinions in public, something that would not be tolerated by the current Iranian regime. Today, my grandmother resides in Long Island, where she has recreated and established a better Jewish life for herself. She carries with herself the bittersweet memories of the home she was forced to leave behind, with love and enthusiasm for Israel, family and cooking.

Cooking, however, and Iranian-Jewish cuisine in particular, continue to influence her support for Israel and involvement with Hadassah. My grandmother recently published Iranian Kosher Recipes as a fundraiser for Hadassah, bringing the warmth and spice of Iranian cooking into American households in order to raise support for Israel.

Rachel Moreh: Who or what got you involved in Hadassah?

Esther Moreh: As I was the only daughter among seven children, my mother and I were very close. My mother was one of the founders of the first Iranian Jewish organizations. I would accompany my mother to the Hadassah meetings and was exposed to her vision of a better quality of life for the Jewish women and children of Iran.

RM: How did you begin working with Hadassah once again, after moving to America from Iran?

EM: After coming to America, I missed working for a Jewish organization. I began working for the Ester Chapter of Hadassah in Great Neck, New York, holding 350 members.

We would hold meetings, gather all the women, and plan events that would raise money for Hadassah.

RM: How did your mom become involved in Hadassah?

EM: My mother’s love and dedication to the Jewish people had always been an inspiration for me. Following World War II, many Jews who had survived the Holocaust came to Iran. During that critical period, my mother, together with other Jewish women, had welcomed these refugees into their homes, fed and comforted them with great compassion.

RM: How did you decide you wanted to write the cookbook?

EM: One day during one of my Hadassah meetings, I brought a variation of Persian dishes to the meeting. Within a few minutes, all the Pyrexes had been wiped clean from all the women who had indulged themselves in my dishes. Having been satisfied from their polo shived (dill rice) the women then encouraged me to write my own cookbook. As I went home that night, pondering the idea, I decided I would take on this arduous project, only with the means of donating all the profits to Hadassah. Despite my poor English, with the help of my dictionary and friends, I decided I would write the cookbook.

RM: What was your motivation behind wanting to be involved in Hadassah?

EM: It was my passion; helping other people makes me happy. We worked with an American joint organization in Iran with the common goal of raising money for Israel. Our main mission is raising money for the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, Israel. There are more than 3,000 members in Hadassah.

What caught my interest with Hadassah is that the organization pays no attention to where you’re from; they will help you out no matter what.

RM: Where did your love of cooking come from?

EM: My love for cooking came from an early age. I loved the way the aroma of spices coming from my kitchen had the power to gather my whole family at the end of each day to come together.

RM: How are you continuing your legacy with Hadassah?

RM: How old were you at the time when you became in- EM: Today, I am still active in Hadassah. With my old age it is volved in Hadassah? difficult for me to be as active as I used to be; however, I make EM: I became involved with Hadassah from the age of 12 an effort to attend meetings and share my experience with the and continued to do so for 30 years. I was a chalutz (pioneer) new generation. for Israel, with the mission of spreading the idea for Iranian Jews to make aliyah (emmigrate) to Israel. We worked for RM: What is your favorite dish to make? women’s rights and many programs in support of the State of EM: I don’t have a personal favorite dish of my own; however I’ve noticed that a favorite among many of my friends and family Israel. is polo shived.

RM: As an Iranian Jewish woman, did you feel as though you had a voice to make a change? What were some setbacks RM: What is the secret to your amazing cooking?

EM: There is no secret to my cooking, except that what moyou faced?

EM: I did not think about attempting to change the world but tivates me to make my dishes tasty is making people happy.

I wanted to do whatever was in my power to help people. I Food is a basic necessity that many take for granted. It holds felt no complications — it never felt like I was doing work the incredible power to nourish a life and bring people tobecause I loved what I was doing and wanted to make every- gether. one happy.

Recipe for Polo Shived Dill and Rice

Yield: 4 servings - 2 cups rice - 1 cup fresh dill chopped or 4 tablespoons dried dill weed - 2 tablespoons frozen lima beans or green peas If the rice is Basmati, wash three times and soak in salt water for two hours. Drain rice. Boil 8 cups of water, add rice. Boil on a high heat for about 10 minutes and drain.

Pour oil in a heavy pot and add the rice at the bottom of the pot.

Mix the rest of the rice with dill, lima beans and pour into the pot.

Cover it. Cook on low heat for about 40 minutes.

You many serve polo with fish or chicken or you can put cooked meat in the middle of the rice before steaming it. The botttom of rice will be crispy and golden. *Recipe from Iranian Kosher Recipes by Esther Moreh

Page 9

[Campus Life] UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies lies at the end of a labyrinthine hallway near the top of the beady-eyed and waffle-patterned maroon edifice that is Bunche Hall.

If you haven’t been there before, it can be difficult to find.

It’s based in a spacious office-cum-lobby and staffed by two individuals, along with numerous associated professors in various departments. Pamphlets from affiliated centers and programs — such as the Arabic and Islamic Studies minor and the Center for Jewish Studies — lie piled on available surfaces. CNES claims that it “encourages, coordinates and integrates instruction and research in the humanities and the social sciences, business, law, medicine and the media, and in all languages essential to an understanding of the Near East.” However, this past September, AMCHA Initiative questioned the Center’s neutrality.

AMCHA, a watchdog nonprofit “dedicated to investigating, documenting, educating about, and combating antiSemitism at institutions of higher education in America,” published a report about CNES which detailed events and statistics that AMCHA claimed indicated an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel bias in the center. The report was based on the number and content of events and lectures hosted

by CNES which AMCHA deemed to be anti-Semitic either by dint of outright anti-Semitism or by criticism of Israel and its right to exist, rather than of its policies. AMCHA’s methods and findings ignited an uproar in Jewish and Middle Eastern academia, resulting in letters of support from some and letters of denunciation from others, such as UCLA’s Professor David Myers, who co-wrote an op-ed that was published in the Jewish Journal and other Jewish publications.

Whether or not one accepts AMCHA’s findings and its call to Congress to withhold federal funding from Middle Eastern studies programs that exhibit antiSemitic or anti-Israel biases, in the light of the report and its accusations, CNES’s event calendar and its response to the accusations bear looking at. Event-wise, disregarding those that appear to have no relation to Israel or Jews, two fall events stand out: a November 5 lecture by Steven Salaita and a November 7 one by Neve Gordon. No other fall events appear to relate to Israel or the Palestinians.

Steven Salaita is a former professor at Virginia Tech whose offer of a tenured professorship of American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was revoked following controversial tweets about the recent Gaza-Israel conflict. In one example, on July 18th, Salaita tweeted that “By eagerly conflating Jewishness and Israel, Zionists are partly responsible when people say antisemitic [sic] **** in response to Israeli terror.” After the revocation, Salaita embarked on a public speaking tour, of which the November 5 lecture was a part.

Listening to the lecture, a personal peeve was Salaita’s historical inaccuracy in his inclusion of the Amalekites in a list of Canaanite tribes, as the Amalekites lived in the Sinai Peninsula, which was never part of Canaan. As a portion of his argument regarding the influence of “Palestine” (I could not tell whether he meant the Mandate or the proposed state) on American society and culture depended upon comparing the world’s treatment of the Palestinians to the Israelites’ war against the Amalekites, I would advise Salaita to better check his sources before his next speech. In fact, the biblical commandment to wipe out Amalek that Salaita quoted directly follows

Fall 2014

UCLA's Center for Near Eastern Studies: a post-AMCHA look Devorah Friedman

Internal Managing Editor

Photo by Rebecca Zaghi

an account of the Amalekite attack on the Israelites soon after they had left Egypt and were still “exhausted and weak” and were not described as being militarily engaged against the Amalekites. Salaita’s comparison of the Palestinians to the Amalekites would thus be fairly derogatory and harsh. However, digressions aside, the podcast available on the CNES website indicates a decidedly antiIsrael guest lecture.

In a similar vein, Neve Gordon of the November 7th event has described Israel as an “apartheid state.” Again, there are no other speakers this quarter about either Israel or Palestinians.

In an official response to the criticism, CNES has recently published a point-by-point refutation of AMCHA’s report, which can be found on the juancole.com website.

Regarding the issue described above, namely that CNES has co-sponsored one-sided events and has failed to provide a balanced narrative to students, the report points out that CNES does not, as a rule, invite speakers to refute other speakers’ lectures or defend countries or states from speakers’ accusations, as all speakers are “accomplished scholars presenting original work.” From a logistical point of view, it would indeed be arduous for the Center to be forced to sponsor a counterargument to every speaker on controversial issues. However, in the interest of truth, recognizing that there are usually many sides to every perspective, it would be both equitable and educational to invite or permit to speak more than one side regarding particularly controversial lecturers and events, such as those relating to Israel, especially given that it should not be particularly difficult to have one or two additional speakers per quarter, as necessary.

Regarding criticism of the past three CNES directors, who all signed the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions petition against Israel, James Gelvin, a professor in UCLA’s Department of History and in CNES, points out, as does CNES’s response, that the directors did not act in their official capacity but rather as individuals. As such, whether or not one agrees with their views, they have a constitutional right to free speech. CNES has not taken an official stance on BDS and so cannot be formally affiliated with that organization. Furthermore, Gelvin explains that the director has only limited control over CNES and that most important decisions are made by its Faculty Advisory Committee, to which the director does not belong and whose meetings the director may attend only “at the sufferance of the Faculty Advisory Committee.” However, while they certainly have a right to express themselves and while there should be no perceived connection between CNES and BDS, the fact remains that these individuals at some point were representative of CNES, and that, justified or not, a representative is perceived to represent his or her institution at all times. CNES cannot be formally linked with BDS, but students might hardly feel comfortable engaging with a center whose top executive openly supports a campaign that delegitimizes and stigmatizes Israel and some of whose supporters have been connected to actual anti-Semitism.

AMCHA’s petition to have congressional Title VI funding to CNES cut might be inappropriate, given that the Center’s funds provide not only for guest lectures but for services such as language instruction.

Furthermore, as Gelvin points out, CNES does not “let raving anti-Semites up there [to speak].” However, in the interest of a balanced narrative, CNES should provide for more opportunities for students and the UCLA community to learn both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict with events and lectures in as close temporal proximity as possible. Personally, I also believe that Center directors should not take public stances on controversial measures, especially those with connections to hate. However, that is more a topic for the University’s board and the legal courts to decide.

In the meantime, the Center for Near Eastern Studies might make an effort to make all students feel more welcome. I highly recommend it starts by making its office easier for the directionally-challenged to find.

Home

Amir Naveh

Content Editor and Staff Artist

Through childhood to adulthood, the topic of Israel — the sole Jewish state — is vibrant, sacred, and ever-present. This graphic comic portrays the connection that many Jewish populations possess with Israel. The comic embodies the scrutiny, battle, and desire for this land after seeing all for which the country stands. Currently and historically, Israel has been fought over time and time again, though we have yet to see a period where the struggle has been resolved and the land left in peace.

Israel’s journey thus far falls gently into the pages of Ha’Am, where, as a student-run Jewish newsmagazine, we are consistently representing the Jewish community and Israel to the truest and best of our ability.

[Campus Life]

Page 12 Fall 2014

Batsheva Dance Company at Royce Hall:

dancing with the ground, falling to the stars

Moshe Kahn Staff Writer

The chitter-chatter dies abruptly. The lights dim, except for up front. If you are not in your seat, rush back to it.

Make sure your cell phone is shut off, or at least set to silent mode. You’ve probably forgotten to do that last part. The stage holds your attention. The show has just begun.

The Batsheva Dance Company performed their 2011 piece, Sadeh21, at Royce Hall on November 1 and 2 as part of their 50th anniversary celebration world tour. The company’s namesake is the Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild, who founded it in Tel Aviv in 1964 with the help of Martha Graham, one of the most influ-

ential modern dancers.

A low, plain white, barren wall marks the back and side boundaries. A single dancer struts onto the center of the stage. He begins to bend his body downward, reaching extremes you didn’t know were possible. He darts around the stage, as if compelled to do so, interacting with forces and objects only he sees. A combination of dexterity and strength craft his precise movements.

Then he walks off, just as another replaces him. This repeats a few times, and each dancer is just as breathtaking as the other.

I heard about the show at a screening of the documentary

“Let’s Dance,” hosted by the Center for Israel Studies. The film covers the history of Israeli dance and features this dance troupe prominently.

After the screening, professor of Israeli visual culture Anat Gilboa and Melissa Melpignano, a Ph.D. student at the UCLA Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance, held a brief discussion about the film. One of the topics that arose was what made Israeli dance unique, and specifically its “grounded” nature.

Melpignano had trouble putting what this means into words, and even with the help of dance members in the audience a clear and concise

definition eluded us. I figured I had to see it for myself in order to understand it.

The series of solo performances gives way as two dancers simultaneously walk on from opposite sides of the stage. They meet in the middle, but just before they embrace they are jolted away. They are clearly connected by some ethereal bond, which prevents their separation, but they are only ever briefly in complete harmony. Then they walk off, just as another pair replaces them.

I got to the show a little early and as I was alone I was free to wander. I gravitated towards the terrace to catch some fresh

air and solitude before entering the crowded theater. I was right about the fresh air, but wrong about the solitude. An interview was being conducted. Sitting a few feet away, with a large crowd standing nimbly around him, was the uber-cool Ohad Naharin, the company’s artistic director since 1990. He described his practice of not using mirrors in the studio, as mirrors provide us with an image, which distracts us from the internal feelings that produce that image. This applies not only to dance but also to our everyday lives. Earlier in his life, Naharin spent four years without using any mirrors, a feat which is unthinkable to

Illustration by M Moore

[Campus Life]

Page 13 Fall 2014

Illustration by M Moore

most. Especially nowadays, as a result of our habitual use of digital technologies, it has become increasingly difficult to feel truly and wholly present in the current moment.

Time has become a constant concern for us, and yet it is this worry, which detracts from sensing the “plentitude of time.”

The duet is disrupted as the number of dancers multiplies manifold. The stage transforms rapidly into a chaotic mass of dancers! Like Times Square, everyone is seemingly in their own small world, yet interacting subtly with those around. The sound of bare feet pitter-pattering fills the air. Then the action swiftly dies down as the number of dancers diminishes.

Naharin went on to relay some details of the dance, which at this point in the article you are familiar with, such as the fact that it begins with solo performances. I somewhat jokingly interjected, “Spoiler alert!” so Naharin explained that he had the exact opposite intention. He called these elements of the perfor-

mance the “gossip.” They are the most noticeable features, which easily grab your attention but ultimately may distract you from the deeper experience. He wished that we could have been watching it for the second time so that our minds would be clear of all the trivialities. When the company practices in a studio with mirrors, they cover them, and I believe the intention of this talk was to cover the mirrors in our minds.

The show continues without interruption, although each scene is clearly demarcated by the projection on the back wall of the word “Sadeh,” followed by a number. The counting starts with 1 and ends with 21, with the help of some tricks. Sadeh is the Hebrew word for field, but each Sadeh transports you to a different universe.

The dancers embody the various organisms that inhabit these strange worlds and are enveloped by the thick space of the atmospheric music and ambient lighting.

I spent much of the performance in utter awe, and my

internal monologue had difficulty formulating words. Despite this, there were many themes that managed to feel their way into my mind. The term Sadeh may be an allusion to the battlefield, and there are many clear references to the military. The most overt was the way the show started and ended, but I don’t want to spoil those surprises; I think even Naharin would agree with me on this. But others were recurrent, such as the strange swift motion of an individual dancer reenacting the firing of a gun, the bullets flying toward their target, and the resulting damage upon impact.

A man inches along the stage with a woman draped motionless over his shoulders.

Sadeh may also be referring to the work field. There is a strong historical connection between the land and dance, as the kibbutzniks who nourished the land of Israel back to life were known to erupt in folk dance at a moment’s notice.

A small group of dancers lock hands in a circle formation and slowly rotate. One by

one the rest of the dancers join in, until all 18 are united as one.

However, neither of these frames is sufficient on its own.

As is often the case in Israel, the battlefield and work field are one and the same. The performance is not attempting to dictate messages but rather to convey emotions. An Israeli is forced to confront certain sad realities as a result of the conflict in the region, but also universal human feelings and frustrations. The show managed to evoke the entire spectrum of sensations, often in paradoxical combinations and levels of intensity, which were bearable only as a result of the intermittent comedic surprises.

A man stands still as a woman to his side starts to smack his torso and back. Her pace quickens and power increases but the man remains motionless.

The world we live in places many limitations on us. Our bodies put limits on our movements, our words put limits on our minds, and all is ultimately limited by the passing of time. We attempt to over-

come these limits by chasing love or joining groups or dancing, but all this achieves is expanding our understanding of what our limits are.

You can never completely escape yourself. All one can ever hope for is fleeting moments of sublimity in which time becomes irrelevant and one feels simultaneously transcendent and grounded.

I spent the entire 75 minutes of the performance in and out of this state. I ended up fulfilling Naharin’s wish and watching it again the second night — and now I long for my next opportunity. I hope you get a chance to watch it, and I hope reading this article will have helped you tap into the tremendous powers of this performance.

A man directs his attention towards the audience and begins to talk in a high-pitched, made-up, and muffled language. His words are unintelligible, but his tone and emotions are enough to reach through to your heart. You chuckle, but also feel sorry for him as he is reluctantly forced off the stage.

[Campus Life]

Page 14 Fall 2014

Photos by Rebecca Zaghi

POWER STANCE: Campus rabbis and rebbetzins take on UCLA. Top row (left to right): Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller of Hillel, Rabbi Dovid Gurevich of Chabad, Rabbi Jacob Rupp of JAM, and Julie Rupp of JAM. Bottom row (left to right): Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan of Hillel, Sharona Kaplan of Hillel, Rabbi Aaron Lerner of Hillel, and Kerry Chaplin of Hillel.

Campus rabbis and rebbetzins: Tessa Nath

Editor-in-Chief Growing up, I belonged to a synagogue with two rabbis — one senior rabbi and one associate rabbi. I was close with one of them, but mainly because we studied together in the weeks leading up to my bat mitzvah. At UCLA, there are six rabbis — one at Chabad, two at the Jewish Awareness Movement, and three at Hillel (plus one rabbinic intern and four rebbetzins who are always ready to meet with students). The number of Jewish learning opportunities available to students at UCLA is dizzying, and almost impossible to take complete advantage of.

On any given day, there are at least three rabbis (or Hillel staff members) sitting on Kerckhoff patio — learning the parsha over pizza, sipping coffee and discussing life after college, or just chewing the fat. The Jewish Bruin market is clearly saturated, yet each educator manages to draw a crowd of students

the mensches and martyrs of UCLA

“

around him or her. When I was a freshman entering college, I expected to seek out Jewish opportunities — I did not expect them to seek me out, eagerly invite me over to their houses, and stuff me full of delicious food (and knowledge).

and physically? What exactly is a campus rabbi/rebbetzin’s role, and how did it develop? I endeavored to find out.

I sat down with Rabbi Chaim SeidlerFeller, executive director of Hillel at UCLA, in his library-office. Judging by the un-

I was looking for an environment where I could be a Jewish rabbi, not just an Orthodox rabbi.”

— Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, executive director of Hillel at UCLA

Now as a senior, making my nostalgic last rounds, I am able to reflect upon the multitude of experiences I have been exposed to, and to wonder about the lives of the individuals who had given me so much. Who are these men and women of UCLA, who dedicate themselves to serving the students spiritually, intellectually,

shelved books that lay in uneven stacks on the floor, chairs, and the large oval table in the center of the room, one would assume (correctly) that Rabbi Chaim is a learned man. For nearly the past 40 years, Rabbi Chaim has worked at Hillel at UCLA, watching the students and institution transform drastically before his eyes.

Two years before moving to California in 1975 to join the Hillel staff at UCLA, Rabbi Chaim began as the director of Hillel for Ohio State University without ever having so much as entered a Hillel building. But he was drawn, he remembered, by the idea that Hillel was a space for all Jews to come together, regardless of religious observance.

“I was looking for an environment where I could be a Jewish rabbi, not just an Orthodox rabbi,” Rabbi Chaim recalled, gesturing with his arms for emphasis.

Leaning forward in his chair, Rabbi Chaim relayed the history of Jewish organizations on college campuses, beginning in the early twentieth-century, when many universities implemented quotas for Jewish students. In order to formally fill the void of Jewish learning at institutions ill equipped to embrace Jews, let alone Jew-

[Campus Life] ish academic subjects, B’nai B’rith founded Hillel at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1924.

Envisioned as an organization to enrich Jewish student life, Hillel focused mainly on creating an intellectual environment where Judaism could flourish. “In all honesty,” Rabbi Chaim reflected, “we didn’t reach as many students as we’re reaching today. But I think we were successful and Hillel was well known — we programmed, and we brought all the major speakers of the time.”

According to the Hillel International website, the shift occurred in 1988, when “B’nai B’rith hire[d] Richard M. Joel, a 37-year-old attorney and Yeshiva University dean, to revitalize Hillel.” Instead of Hillel centering on rabbis, the students took on responsibilities and staff were hired to help promote student life.

Pausing to blow bubbles from a small vile on his desk, Rabbi Chaim is momentarily absorbed. He reflected thoughtfully, “My personal mission is to provide opportunities for young Jews to connect to Judaism.”

Behind Hillel: Aside from Rabbi Chaim, Hillel also partners with Sharona and Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan from the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus to provide support for Modern Orthodox students. The duo believe that they have the most “optimal slice of the rabbinate. While Rabbis typically chose between classroom or pulpit, JLIC is the best of both. It’s the best of education — where every student we teach is interested, bright and participates voluntarily, without the pressure of a curriculum or tests alongside the best of pulpit — with all of the beauty of communal experiences and shared life cycle celebrations.”

In addition to the Kaplans, Hillel boasts another rabbi, Aaron Lerner, who is the Simha and Sara Lainer Senior Jewish Educator at UCLA. Rabbi Lerner shared that the most rewarding aspect of being a campus rabbi is “when a student who has been involved with Hillel decides to literally do something different with their life because they have been affected by Jewish values and conversation with Hillel student leaders and staff. Last year, a former intern decided to teach inner-city kids instead of working at a brokerage. Others make Aliyah or start clinics in Africa.”

New to the scene is Hillel’s rabbinic intern Kerry Chaplin, who leads Hillel’s weekly Bruins B’Yachad egalitarian prayer service on Friday nights. “My guiding philosophy in working with students and in life is curiosity,” Chaplin said. “I believe God is curious, and as we are striving to be holy as God is holy, I practice curiosity to reveal more of God in the world.”

Page 15 Fall 2014 Together, Rabbi Chaim, Sharona and Rabbi Kaplan, Rabbi Lerner, and Chaplin form the spiritual backbone of Hillel at UCLA. Although their institutions are not as old or well endowed, Chabad and JAM rabbis are working toward the same end as is the powerhouse on Hilgard.

“

Behind Chabad:

Elisa and Rabbi Dovid Gurevich have been a Chabad on campus family for the last nine years. Along with their six children, the Gureviches invite students into

ed money to the Westwood Kehilla and Hillel to run the program. “When the grant ran out, we took over JAM and inherited the name” and turned it into the program it is today, remembered Bracha Zaret, who spearheaded the project along with her husband, Rabbi Moshe Zaret. JAM is now an official student organization at six colleges in southern California.

Julie and Rabbi Jacob Rupp, UCLA’s resident JAM couple, have been working for JAM for the past seven years, and even met through JAM when they were both in college at UCSD. The two became Ortho-

You know there’s a saying that you’re always happiest when you’re helping others. So I think the ability to give is the most tremendous thing we gain from living here. And teaching our kids to give and to have ahavas yisroel (love among the Jewish people) is the most important thing. [...] We’re not in it for ourselves.” ­— Elisa Gurevich, Chabad at UCLA

their home each week for learning, cooking, conversation, and anything else a student away from home might need. “You know there’s a saying that you’re always happiest when you’re helping others,” Elisa relayed, bouncing baby Yossi on her hip. “So I think the ability to give is the most tremendous thing we gain from living here. And teaching our kids to give and to have ahavas yisroel (love among the Jewish people) is the most important thing. To see a Jew in need and see what we would provide is important. We’re not in it for ourselves.”

Rabbi Dovid and Elisa measure Chabad’s success based on the quality of their interactions. “It’s all about the kinds of questions people ask,” Rabbi Dovid said emphatically. The Gureviches encourage all levels of questioning — especially when students do not agree, upholding that by discussion and argument is the ideal vessel for learning.

By and large, the philosophy of Chabad on campus is categorized as shliach, meaning messenger or ambassador. Chabad couples have been sent out or inspired by the teachings of the Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson to provide for the needs of the Jewish people, no matter what they may be. Rabbi Dovid cites providing students with everything from mezuzot to toilet plungers as evidence.

dox together, and returned to JAM to share their experience. “I went to Yeshiva after college,” Rabbi Rupp relayed, taking a sip of water and relaxing in his chair. “And I decided that I wanted to work in the college outreach world because I had just

come from it, and I felt that I had a natural understanding for college culture.”

Rabbi Rupp takes his job very personally. “The role of being a rabbi has always been difficult business. You’re not just dealing with your own inclination, but with your students’ evil inclinations as well. To be a good rabbi, you have to care a great deal, and it’s hard not to take people’s own shortcomings personally.”

For these reasons, the role of campus rabbi is incredibly taxing, and there can be a tremendous turnaround, as Rabbi Rupp notes.

Therefore, the Zarets are filling in as the second JAM family this year, spending Shabbat at UCLA and welcoming students into their home. Living on frat row and being a JAM rabbi comes with its own set of unique challenges, such as navigating the intoxicated students, loud music, and constant party atmosphere. But it is worth it, Rabbi Rupp upholds, in order to be able to invite students into his home, which is conveniently located in the thicket of student life.

No matter which organization or rabbi students get involved with, they can be assured that they will receive personal attention and guidance. “We thrive on individual relationships,” Rabbi Gurevich reiterated. “If you’re Jewish and at UCLA, there is so much we have to offer.”

FA R M E R S I M PA C T C O M M U N I T I E S Wherever we build Amir Gardens, we are committed to supporting the local economy and community. We purchase all tools, plants, and soil from local providers, and work with our partner camps to identify local food banks and pantries to take in fresh produce during and after the summer.

David Beroff (Camp

“I learned how to communicate

with children who have a variety of

learning styles and interests.. Working

with multiple age groups was an added

challenge that rewarded me differently every day:

learning side-by-side, sharing knowledge, eating fresh produce from the

garden.and telling stories…”

Alison Rolman

Behind JAM: In contrast, the philosophy that guides JAM is kiruv, or “bringing close,” meaning that JAM seeks to bring Jews closer to the heart of Judaism: Orthodoxy. JAM was originally funded buy the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, which grant-

Herzl, 2014)

Camp B’nai B’rith Perlman, 2014) “I definitely grew as an educator this

AMIR 510 3rd St, Suite 102 Oakland, CA (415) 758-2647 www.Amirproject.org

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summer because I learned how

challenging, yet nonetheless rewarding, it

can be to create hands-on educational experiences

for campers. I learned how to adapt programing that

was provided from Amir, as well as how to create my

own lessons that synthesize the campers' age levels,

!

maturity, interest, and experience. “

[Israel]

Page 16 Fall 2014

Remembering Yitzhak Rabin Rivka Cohen

Content Editor Nineteen years later, the Jewish people still mourn the tragic loss of a national and international hero.

In the month of November, we remember the life of Yitzhak Rabin – Nobel Peace Prize winner and iconic figure of hope and agreement in the Middle East. Had Rabin been with us today, would we still be shedding blood and tears over the same conflict?

The first native-born prime minister of Israel, Rabin began his service to the country prior to its establishment. He joined the Haganah (one of the Jewish militias) in 1940 and fought against the British Army. After years of excellent service, his military career reached its height when he became the Chief of Staff during the Six Day War in 1967. Upon his retirement in 1968,

“

he became the Israeli Ambassador to the Unites States.

Rabin then returned to Israel in 1973 and became involved in the Labor Party. Upon Golda Meir’s resignation in 1974, he took leadership of the party and was instated as the country’s fifth prime minister,

In Rabin’s jacket pocket, the lyrics to “Shir La’Shalom” were found, stained in his blood.

up until 1977. One of his most formidable challenges during this period was authorizing the 1976 Entebbe Raid, during which the Israeli Sayeret Matkal commandos freed 100 Jewish and Israeli hostages in Uganda following the hi-jacking of a plane by terrorists. He served

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major role in the negotiations for peace between Israel and its neighbors. His government participated in secret negotiations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization, then headed by Yasser Arafat. They came to peace agreements, entitling both parties with recognition by the other, endorsing the transition to a self-rule of the occupied territories, and the instatement of the PLO as the official partner to Israel for future negotiations. The agreements, known as the Oslo Accords, set forward a five-year plan, during which the first steps toward peace would be accomplished. They were signed in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Together with Shimon Peres and Arafat, Rabin was the recipient of the Noble Peace Prize in 1994.

On Nov. 4, 1995, thousands congregated to support Rabin and hear him speak at a massive peace rally in Tel Aviv-Yafo. That night, in his most memorable and very last speech, he powerfully stated, “Violence erodes the basis of Israeli democracy. We must condemn, denounce and isolate it – violence is not the way of the State of Israel... Although the road to peace for Israel with its Arab neighbors is fraught with difficulties and pains, it is preferable to that of war.” He set his intentions for the government to “exhaust every opening, every possibility, to promote and achieve a comprehensive peace.”

He asked that this historic night sends a clear message to the Israeli public, the Jewish world, the Arab world, and the outside world that “The people of Israel want peace. We support peace.”

Shortly thereafter, the rally’s par-

Photo courtesy of Ldorfman, 2012 (Creative Commons Share-Alike License)

ticipants joined together to sing “Shir La’Shalom,” or “Song for Peace.”

Just moments later, on his way out of the rally, Rabin was tragically shot dead. His killer was Yigal Amir, an extremist right-wing Israeli who believed that the prime minister had “betrayed” the country by choosing to trade land for peace. In Rabin’s jacket pocket, the lyrics to “Shir La’Shalom” were found, stained in his blood.

Unfortunately, in the years following Rabin’s assassination, the Accords dissolved. Of course, many factors and figures contributed to this failure, but the question remains – had Rabin been with us today, would we continue to shed blood and tears over the same conflict?

Now more than ever, the Jewish community must remember Rabin’s strong conviction in peace. We must educate peace. We must learn to see the Palestinians and the Arab world as our peace partners, not our enemies.

Remembering Rabin is remembering a time when Israel and Palestine were mentioned together in light of friendship. Remembering Rabin is remembering that no amount of hate is irreparable, and no disagreement unsolvable. Just like it was done then, it could be done now.

[Israel]

Page 17 Fall 2014

Illustration by M Moore

[Israel]

Page 18 Fall 2014

Is protesting enough?

Jasmin Boodaie

Content Editor and Business Intern Protesting is quite a common subsequent reaction for Los Angeles Jews when an unfavorable incident occurs in Israel. This past summer especially, my Facebook blew up with event invites to the Federal Building or to the Israeli Consulate to protest on behalf of Israel.

When the three boys were kidnapped?

There was a protest. When the three boys were pronounced dead? There was a protest. When Israel was getting backlash for protecting itself? There was a protest.

As a strong advocate of Israel, I went to probably almost every protest in my area. But the more I protested, the more it occurred to me that having a bunch of people sporting IDF shirts, waving signs and flags, and yelling at cars, can only do so much. Don’t get me wrong — having pride in your support for Israel is great, but what kind of an impact will that have on onlookers? And yes, I will not deny that resulting media coverage can be a plus as well, but the protestors on the other side will end up with the same — if not more — media coverage. So then what?

Protesting should be just one step, rather than the only step, one takes to support Israel. I spent a lot of time at

these protests thinking about how much the individual protestors actually knew about the Israeli conflict and if they had the ability to truly defend Israel if they were presented with the opportunity.

The fact of the matter is that most anti-Israel Americans become anti-Israel because of the information they are fed either through the media or by anti-Israel radicals. Consequently, people should spend less time holding up flags from their sunroofs on Wilshire Boulevard, and more time educating themselves so that they can educate others and defend Israel.

It is our responsibility as the Jewish youth to spread pro-Israel ideologies and inform others about the conflict’s specifics so that they are not left with just one side of the argument. Informing other UCLA students is especially important right now in light of the various anti-Israel incidents taking place on campus.

It is hard to ignore that our campus has been subject to a lot of anti-Israel, and even anti-Semitic, propaganda. As a new student to UCLA, I have come to recognize just how widely diverse our student body is and how some of my beliefs may inevitably contrast with many of those around me. This realization became es-

Crossword: all about Israel Ellie Fridman

Copy Editor and Cruciverbalist

pecially apparent when sixth week came around and many anti-Israel advocates changed their profile pictures in anticipation for BDS. At first, I was appalled to see the different people around me who were prodivestment — one sits behind me in history, another helped me navigate my way through campus on my first day, and one made me laugh hysterically at a club meeting. I soon came to the understanding that I have no right to be angry or disappointed with people who have differing opinions than I and that there are always two sides to every story. With that said, however, we need to make sure that our side of the story is actually being told in the first place, and that we make our desire for peace clear.

This year, Bruins for Israel made a bold statement with their wise decision to hold off on protesting against SJP’s installment on Palestine Awareness Week.

They reasoned that protesting was counterproductive and that a more educational approach was necessary. I applaud BFI for comprehending that a protest would not benefit our ultimate prospect of getting our message across.

Generally — both on and off campus —, we must sympathize with the hurt of

Photo courtesy of Jasmin Boodaie

WE STAND WITH ISRAEL: Ha’Am staff member Jasmin Boodaie at an Israel ralley over the summer.

the Palestinians, but have the ability to explain and defend Israel’s actions. We must not fight ignorance with ignorance; rather, we must become acquainted with the concerns of anti-Israel supporters so that we can possess the knowledge necessary to directly address their issues. We must turn people away from using biased media as their main source of knowledge and direct them toward the facts.

[Israel]

Page 19 Fall 2014

Anti-Israel media bias around the world and around campus Sepehr Hakakian Staff Writer

An American woman and her husband tried for three years to have a child before their daughter, Chaya Zissel Braun, came into the world four months ago. To show their gratitude to G-d for this precious gift, they traveled to Israel and took their little bundle of joy to the Western Wall for the first time on Oct. 22. While they were waiting for the train to take them back home, Abdel-Rahman Shaloudi intentionally swerved off the road and rammed his vehicle into the crowded train station, murdering the three month old baby and injuring her parents. He then proceeded to exit his vehicle and attempted to escape by foot, but was shot by a police officer.

The Associated Press decided to run the following headline for an article describing the incident: “Israeli police

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the toddler had kidnapped and murdered Tyson’s three teenage sons and peppered Tyson with missiles for over a decade. No opinion articles explaining the Israeli side were featured on The Guardian’s website.

This kind of one-sided and twisted reporting led to an upsurge of antiSemitic activity all across the world this past summer. On July 26, firebombs were thrown at the security booth of a Jewish community center in Toulouse, France; on July 29, firebombs were thrown at a synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany.

Unsurprisingly, the highest amount of anti-Semitic activity took place in the country with the media most notorious for its anti-Israeli bias: Great Britain. This July, we witnessed the second-highest level of anti-Semitic

rope. Exposing UCLA Bruins, the future leaders of this country, to the same kind of prejudiced bias can have ghastly consequences for the future of the Jewish community.

As students of this university and citizens of this country, we must make sure that our media, which in some ways represents us, is as fair and objective as possible. Whenever we see a skewed headline or an unfair talk show host, we must contact the proper authorities and do our best to fix the issue. For the sake of Chaya Zissel Braun’s memory, and to ensure that no more innocent children share her fate, we must do all we can to put an end to any kind of media bias wherever it may be found.

Apart from besmirching the memory of Chaya Zissel, flagrant media bias such as this can have and does have adverse effects on Jewish communities all over the world.”

shoot man in east Jerusalem.”

Apart from besmirching the memory of Chaya Zissel, flagrant media bias such as this can have and does have adverse effects on Jewish communities all over the world. This brand of skewed reporting is comparable to libel and slander that have plagued the Jewish nation throughout history. Although the Jewish world has come to expect (at best) anti-Semitic and antiIsrael bias, and (at worst) blood libel and vicious canard from the media of unfriendly countries, even more affable states are guilty of unfairness.

This past summer, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge to yet again stem the flow of rockets launched from Gaza into Israel. Among the media of English speaking countries, British publications were notorious for savagely criticizing Israel while completely ignoring the crimes of the other side.

The British publication, The Guardian, described Israel’s actions as “Mike Tyson punching a toddler.” The commentary forgot to mention, however, that

incidents on record since the Community Security Trust began to document anti-Semitic attacks in the United Kingdom in 1984.

Although many of us think that antiIsrael bias can only be found overseas, it can strike — and has struck — much closer to home than we realize. The Nov. 3 edition of the Daily Bruin featured Students for Justice in Palestine’s plan for yet another divestment resolution on its front cover, above the fold.

The fact that the Daily Bruin gave such prominent coverage to a student group above the fold, while pushing national elections below the fold should give any alert reader pause. While the latter has direct consequences for UCLA, the former is merely symbolic — what does this say about the priorities of our student media?

When our campus’ most widely read publication is party to unfair and skewed reporting such as this, we must be aware of the consequences that can follow. We have already seen the effects of anti-Israel media bias in Eu-

Photo by Rebecca Zaghi

SCANNING THE NEWS: The Daily Bruin’s front page features possible media bias, since Students for Justice in Palestine is higher on the page than the nation-wide mid-term elections.

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[Israel]

Page 20 Fall 2014

E Is Israel a Jewish state?

No. T A B E D But it can be.

E Yaacov Tarko L B A T Staff Writer

Groups like Bruins for Israel love to tout the idea that Jews, like all other national groups, deserve a state. That would be a good argument if it wasn’t for one flaw: Israel is not a Jewish state.

Before we were expelled from our homeland by the Roman Empire, the Jews had a magnificent civilization with its own language, religion, culture, and system of government. When we came back to Israel, many of us hoped to reestablish our civilization. Instead, all we created was an outpost of Western civilization in the Middle East.

In the years leading up to the foundation of our state in 1948, most Jews in the land of Israel collaborated with the British occupation. While small groups resisted, eventually driving out the British, the bulk of the Jewish Yishuv accepted foreign rule over our homeland. So, when the time came for us to establish a Jewish state, the British handed off the institutions of government to the Yishuv establishment. The Jewish leaders of Israel took down the Union Jack and ran up the Degel Yisrael (Israeli flag) and kept everything else fundamentally the same.

Israeli policy for the most part has followed the pattern of a Western state.

While the modern West provides a very high quality of life to many of its residents, its governments also sometimes disregard the welfare of others. Western states adopt economic policies that protect and even celebrate inequality, consequently condemning a lower class to

poor living conditions and lack of opportunity. They label large ethnic and religious groups locally and internationally as potential terrorists, allowing them to pay less heed to the groups’ rights and liberties in the name of security.

A nation that emerges from Western civilization, from Western values and beliefs, may be right to take these approaches. But Israel shouldn’t be a product of Western civilization because Jews are not a Western people. If we were Western, we would have no right to land in the Middle East.

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that land should not be subject to the capitalist mode of exchange. Every forty-nine years, at the end of the Yovel cycle, the ancestral owner of every plot of land regains possession of it, even if he sold it to someone else. Effectively, land cannot be bought or sold but only leased. This policy consequently prevents the rise of a permanent class of non-landowning peasant farmers, similar to those that lived crushingly impoverished lives in Europe until relatively recently.

Also, the Torah repeats many times, as

We are a Middle Eastern people with our own unique civilization that emerged in the Middle East three thousand years ago and that has finally returned home. And in guiding the policy of our state, we should look to the principles of our civilization.”

We are a Middle Eastern people with our own unique civilization that emerged in the Middle East three thousand years ago that has finally returned home. Thus, in guiding the policy of our state, we should look to the principles of our civilization.

Do we as Jews want to embrace capitalism, along with the West? Should we accept it as necessary while doing our best to mitigate the harms that it causes? Or should we look for an alternative way to organize our society?

There are no modern Jewish answers to these questions, so I will revert to the ancient ones.

The Torah in Vayikra 25 makes clear it

in Devarim 23:20, that one may not issue a loan that charges interest, at least to another Jew. It seems that, no matter what the free market dictates, exploitation of the needs of one’s fellow man is less than totally acceptable to our civilization.

We should also ask ourselves if we as Jews want to impose military rule on other peoples living in our homeland, as we have done to Palestinians in some areas. Again, I’m not familiar with any modern answers to this question that are particularly Jewish, but Vayikra 24:22 is clear: “You shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger as for one of your own country, for I am the Lord your God.” In one region of our

homeland, Samaria and Judea (the West Bank), Jewish residents are governed by a civil legal system while Palestinians are denied civil rights and subject to a military bureaucracy. Our ancestors clearly would have frowned upon this unequal pair of legal systems.

Finally, I wonder on which legal tradition our country’s legal system should be based. Currently, Israeli law is based on the common law system, as devised by the British, despite the fact that the British were the ones who closed the doors to our homeland to us during the darkest days of the Shoah (Holocaust). We have our own legal tradition, the Talmud, which could be used as the foundation of a new legal system that is both modern and Jewish. Also, our state contains hundreds of thousands of scholars, the Haredim, who refuse to do anything other than study our ancient legal system, and could possibly be offered employment managing our new one.

If we see ourselves as the continuation of the Jewish civilization who lived in Israel before us, we must decide how to make their answers to the questions of statecraft relevant to our systems of government. But until the Israeli government begins acting like a Jewish state, it has no right to call itself one. If we fail to integrate the values of our ancestors into the administration of our modern government, Israel will not be a Jewish state in our homeland, but rather a Western colony in the Middle East.

Is Israel a Jewish state? Yes. Rivka Cohen

Content Editor Although it is idealistic to say that Israel should conduct itself according to Jewish law, the Talmud can also be extremely close-minded, including strict regulations of gender inequality and intolerance of LGBT communities. If we justify reclaiming this tradition on the basis that Jewish law should govern Israel, where do we draw the line? How do we ensure that only the regulations we deem appropriate for the modern state of Israel are adopted, and we do not allow for the implementation of other, less appealing laws? Additionally, how would we enforce laws justified by their religious right to a population filled with citizens either not religious, or not Jewish? While implementing some Jewish laws would prove practical, we risk the chance of descending down a very slippery and dangerous slope.

Israel is a Jewish state because it is the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and we have finally returned.

Illustration by Briana Begelfer