Filmmaker shows incompetence at United Nations
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On April 17, the Jewish Student Association at the University of Alabama at Birmingham hosted filmmaker Ami Horowitz for a screening of his documentary, “U.N. Me.” The film exposes one of the world’s most beloved institutions as a corrupt collection of bureaucrats who are incapable of doing what the U.N. was founded to do — facilitate world peace and mitigate conflict. In the film, U.N. officials in charge of responding to terrorism admit that they don’t even have a definition of terrorism. Rampant waste and ineffective humanitarian relief efforts are also chronicled. Horowitz’s visit was organized as a response to the recent Israel Apartheid Week held by Students for Justice in Palestine. That week-long event brought in several speakers and films, and included an “apartheid wall” protesting the Israeli security fence that was built in response to suicide bombings. In response to the week, Aaron Graf sent an open letter to the UAB Multicultural Council, stating it was “deeply disturbing that the Council would support such an event,” and
Genevieve Begue, right, introduces filmmaker Ami Horowitz by doing so “you are supporting bigotry and hatred” because SJP aims for the “delegitimization of an entire nation” and eradication of the right for national self-determination of the Jewish people. The council responded that “We support many programs and groups, and while we do not support hate or intolerance to any group based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation, we do however support Students for Justice in Palestine or any program that promotes rational and logical dialogue of topics relating to social injustice, intolerance, and discrimination in an attempt to raise social consciousness and cultural competence among our students.”
McNeese Senate tables pro-Israel resolution
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May 2013
A pro-Israel resolution that seemingly had been passed by the McNeese State University Student Government Association Senate was tabled indefinitely on April 3 by the association. The resolution was submitted by Adam Harris, who heads the Christians United for Israel group at McNeese State. He had recently returned from the AIPAC policy conference and made his presentation at the March 13 Senate meeting. The resolution passed, 28-21. The following week, Harris went to get a signed copy of the resolution, but Student Government Association President Davante Lewis said he would not sign it because it was improperly passed. “I did not reject any resolution,” Lewis said. “The legislation is back in the senate after parliamentary procedures were not followed correctly.” When the voice vote was too close to call in March, there was a second vote where members raised their hands. The Pro-Tempore did not record abstentions, meaning the 49 votes that were cast fell short of the 51 required for a quorum. Harris returned to the Senate on April 3 to get it passed again, but there were several present in opposition, including one who sug-
Southern Jewish Life
gested that many leading academics would no longer be available to McNeese State for supporting Israel. The resolution expresses “support for the State of Israel’s right to defend Israeli sovereignty, to protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, and to support strict enforcement of the sanctions placed by the United States Congress and by the UnitedNations on Iran, in order to maintain a nuclear free Iran.” Toward the end of the discussion, Senator Alex Reinauer, a student from the local Jewish community, said he urged a vote against the resolution because the Senate is supposed to serve as the liaison between the student body and the administration. “I’m not saying I’m opposed to anything in this bill,” he said, but debating foreign policy like this is not something the Senate should be spending its time doing. He also expressed concern that by delving beyond usual student affairs, outside groups become interested in campus politics, citing this publication’s requests to Lewis for comment about the March 13 vote. The Senate decided to table the resolution indefinitely by an overwhelming voice vote. “Now I get to write another resolution,” said Harris.