A new chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East was established this year in Orange County, California, home to the University of California-Irvine (UCI), California State University-Fullerton, Orange Coast College, and Chapman University.

We have had three meetings since March, with total attendance of about 65 over those meetings. Perhaps because UCI has seen significant anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic activity (mostly by the students in the Muslim Student Union), we have already had a fair amount of activity.

A group of us met with Professor Judea Pearl of UCLA, the father of murdered Wall Street Journalist, Daniel Pearl.

On April 27, 2007 we hosted a meeting with Kenneth Marcus, staff director of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. This federal commission has published a report on campus anti-Semitism (which discussed problems at UCI at some length), and recently established a web site which informs students of how to deal with anti-Semitic incidents. This meeting was covered in an article in a local newspaper. At our meeting on May 8 we heard from Tammi Benjamin (coordinator of the SPME chapter at the University of California, Santa Cruz), and from Leila Beckwith (coordinator of the SPME chapter at the University of California, Los Angeles); we intend to work closely with them.

On May 3, 2007, former president Jimmy Carter spoke on campus to about 3,000 students, faculty, and staff, focusing on topics covered in his book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Among the highlights of his presentation was the claim that American friends of Israel want the United States to be subservient to Jerusalem, and that he is able to criticize Israeli policy because he has Secret Service protection.

Our SPME chapter co-sponsored a full-page advertisement in the student newspapers posing questions to President Carter that he was not forced to answer during his presentation. The week following President Carter’s presentation, the Muslim Student Union hosted Ward Churchill (the University of Colorado professor who had justified the 9/11 attacks), and the week following that the Muslim Student Union is organizing its annual series of anti-Israeli speakers. A local student group, Anteaters for Israel, in cooperation with Hillel, has held effective events showcasing Israel’s desire for peace, its respect for human rights, and its technological achievements.

Many persons and institutions (including StandWithUs, Hillel, American Jewish Committee, Congregation Beth Jacob, and Congregation Shir HaMa’alot) have supported the formation of our SPME chapter. Special thanks go to Natt Rynn, Jack Sklansky, and Henry Wyle.