The Backlash Against Dissent on Israel – Strategies for Response
On Saturday, March 15, 2008, at the annual Left Forum held at Cooper Union in New York, the Committee for Open Discussion of Zionism presented a panel of five individuals who spoke of their experiences with Zionist suppression of criticism of Zionism or Israeli government policy.and Zionist incited harassment of perceived enemies of Israel.
Professor Joel Kovel, author of Overcoming Zionism, spoke of the efforts, so far unsuccessful, of the Zionist watchdog StandWithUs, an offshoot of Campus Watch, to prevent the distribution of his book and those of his publisher, Pluto Press, by the University of Michigan Press. He linked the increasingly strident Zionist attacks to growing public awareness of the moral void of Israeli government policy, especially in the Occupied Territories.
Alison Weir, founder of If Americans Knew, spoke of her experience in Greenwich Connecticut involving the public library, under Zionist pressure, reneging on its commitment to provide a venue for her to speak of her observations in the Occupied Territories
Debbie Almontaser related the sad story of her founding of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, the first Arabic dual language program in NYC, and the distorted and racist portrayal of her and the Academy by the media and teacher’s union that drove her out of her position as principal.
Mona Eldahry, Founding Director of Arabic Women Active in the Arts and Media (AWAAM) spoke of her work with young Arabic women, many recent immigrants with problems of integration and self- reliance, and the racist harassment of these young women by Zionist zealots.
Donna Nevel, co-founder of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, addressed the issue of informal ostracism in the Jewish community of those Jews who criticize Israel or who question the ideology of Zionism.
The panel was assigned a classroom that had about fifty seats. Over one hundred persons jammed into the room, some sitting in rows on the floor, with dozens in the hall crowded around the doorway. The panel received a standing ovation and many commented on the timeliness of these issues being raised.
Next year we ask for the auditorium.