Fall Appeal

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Fall Appeal

“With angry demonstrations in Europe unleashing a wave of anti-Semitism and vitriolic criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza, the stage is set for a banner year of anti-Israel activity on college campus.”*

As Israel continues its campaign in Gaza to suppress Hamas terrorism against Israeli citizens, predictably, the world media and intellectual elites have initiated their collective denunciation of the Jewish state. More alarming have been the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in U.S. and European cities which quickly devolved into anti-Semitic riots, with protestors yelling such epithets at pro-Israel counter demonstrators including such vile comments as, “Jews back to Birkenau” and “Drop dead, you Zionazi whores.”

In Boston, student supporters of Israel were surrounded by angry demonstrators, physically assaulted, and called “Jesus killers,” asked how many babies they had each murdered, and told they would “burn” for Israel’s actions.

“The campus environment will definitely be more challenging than it was in previous years precisely because the anti-Israel movement sees itself as an extension of the ambition of Hamas, which is to isolate, demonize and eradicate Israel” **

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) knows from previous years that this fall campuses will again be in turmoil as pro-Palestinian activists, radical professors, and Muslim student groups agitate viciously against Israel, and will use the recent events in Gaza as a platform for their continuing campaign to demonize Israel and intimidate Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of the Jewish state.

SPME addressed head-on this same anti-Israel activism last year, as well, in events such as these:

    • At San Francisco State University the General Union of Palestinian Students organized an event at which students sold a t-shirt lauding Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled, and the GUPS president, Mohammad Hammad (pictured, with knife), expressed the wish for all Israelis to be killed. Students were encouraged to use a stencil bearing the image of a notorious terrorist and another that stated, “MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS KILLED COLONIZERS”
    • A Jewish student at Temple University was assaulted in August and called “kike” and “baby killer” by members of virulent, radical student group Students for Justice in Palestine, who regularly campaign to destroy Israel.
    • At University of Michigan, pro-Palestinian radicals promoting a BDS resolution yelled “dirty Jew” and “get off campus, kikes” at pro-Israel students.
    • At Vassar College, members of Students for Justice in Palestine physically blocked faculty and students, passed out fliers, and verbally assaulted them as they attempted to enter a classroom where an International Studies course was being held because the course involved a trip to Israel and the West Bank.
    • The American Studies Association, the Modern Language Association, and other academic associations continue to propose resolutions to boycott Israeli academic institutions, making the claim that Israeli academic institutions should be targeted for a boycott that excludes Jewish scholars because of the policies of their government. SPME led in tactical efforts to derail boycott proposals and other anti-Israel, anti-Semitic sanctions.

We need your help

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East is the world’s most influential group of academics, brought together to engage faculty to fight radicalism, bias, and the politicization of scholarship as part of the campaign to weaken and destroy Israel. Help us work toward halting anti-Israel, anti-Semitic rhetoric, courses, events, and activism that targets Jewish students and others who support Israel, and beginning to establish an honest debate about issues pertaining to the Middle East.

SPME relies solely on the generous support of individuals like you who care about confronting virulent anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism on campuses worldwide, and are committed to eliminating the indoctrination of students in the campaign the defame Israel and distort facts about the Middle East.

Please take this opportunity now to help us confront these challenges and prevent another generation of college students to have their minds poisoned with lies and misrepresentations about the Jewish state. You can also choose to have monthly installments automatically charged to a credit card to help us with our work.

Can we count on you for your support to insure academic integrity and an unbiased approach to teaching and learning about the Middle East? I hope we can.

Thanks in advance,

Fall Appeal

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