Over 60 students came to the Hillel auditorium for Israel Advocacy Night earlier this evening. The Penn Israel Coalition event featured a screening of the documentary film Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West. The screening was followed by a speaker from The David Project, a nonprofit group committed to Israel advocacy among Jews and non-Jews.
The movie elicited a variety of reactions from the audience. Many students were horrified by the images of decapitated terror victims, American flags burning, and young Muslim pupils shrieking suicidal poems. A few students expressed concern regarding the association of Saddam Hussein, a secular leader, with Islam. Others noted that violence perpetrated by Israel and America should not be overlooked while jihadists are demonized.
In the discussion following the movie, a brief controversy was instigated by one student who said, “Terrorism is wrong, but we are not considering their objectives. Terrorism is the tactic, not the objective. We are confusing the two.”
Another student responded: “That is very noble of you, but when they say ‘Death to America, Death to the West,’ practically speaking, they are not separating the two. They don’t separate method and ideology.”
The discussion was cut off before it got too heated.
The representative from The David Project gave a presentation on how to be an effective advocate, explaining how one should communicate pro-Israel ideas - with compassion, honesty, and respect.
“We think there is a very clear David and a very clear Goliath,” he stated. “And, of course, we believe Israel is in the right.”