From Matthew Renetzky ’18:
Come relax and celebrate Israeli culture with FREE food, music, and more! Hosted by Wesleyan United With Israel.
Date: Wednesday, February 18th
Time: 8:00PM – 10:00PM
Place: 41 Wyllys
Cost: FREE
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Whether or not you chose to attend this event, please remember that hasbarah (Israeli advocacy/propaganda) is often used to distract us from the real issues that Israel/Palestine faces today (for example: the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, Ethiopian immigrants, Sudanese refugees, racism and Orientalism, the rising power of the ultra-conservative religious right, mandatory military service, the Bedouins, etc.).
It is important also to point out the explicit use of advertising on the posters of the event for Sabra hummus, a company which has been criticized for its involvement in the occupied territories in the West Bank.
I love mediterranean food. I love Israeli music. I love Hebrew poetry.
But I will not be attending this event because of its sponsorship by a conservative, close-minded, and non-productive student group whose goals of hasbarah do not serve this campus to promote meaningful discussions about the American/Jewish/American-Jewish relationship to Israel and the peace-building process.
In response to your final paragraph, Wesleyan United with Israel is neither conservative, close-minded, nor non-productive. Whatever preconceived notions about the group you may have held in the past, this semester it is in the hands of an entirely new membership, who have multiple plans to host events that include discussions of all of the real issues you listed above. Judging by your opinions one might assume you identify more with the views of J-Street U chapter on campus. WesIsrael not only fully supports, but even shares members with, J-Street U. The following are the extent of the extremist views you allude to:
Firstly, they actively and publicly vocal in speaking out regarding the unproductiveness of BDS as a means of achieving political and social change. Secondly, they believe that on Wesleyan’s campus, there should be a safe space for students to express their opinions who feel as if they should be able to state their support for Israel without essentially in the same sentence having to apologize for all of it’s faults.
I implore you to come and have a discussion with any one of WesIsrael’s members some time this year to find out more about the group’s position. What you learn might just surprise you.