About 10 NYU students searched for homeless people this past Monday night, but didn’t find any.
The students, led by Hillel Social Action Chair Abbe Pick, took part in the NYC Department of Homeless Services’ 5th annual HOPE: Homeless Outreach Population Estimate. They met with 50 other volunteers at P.S. 41 for an orientation, then hit the streets to survey the Washington Square neighborhood.
Explaining the Jewish approach that the students took to the survey, Pick told CampusJ in an e-mail that, “Although being Jewish didn’t play a major role in the actual homeless survey, it was nice to participate in an event with a small group of Hillel students (within my group), who shared in a common interest and cause.”
Pick went on to explain how the group went about conducting the survey. “Our task was to ask anyone who we passed if they would like to answer a few questions about their housing situation in New York,” she said, noting “It was interesting because we were told to ask everyone we passed, not just people who appeared homeless because people from the Dept. of Homeless Services told us that there is no such thing as a homeless looking person, etc.”
But by the time their survey was complete, they’d yet to find any of the subjects they were supposed to interview. “We only met non-homeless people, fortunately, which means that the homeless people usually out were hopefully in shelters, especially because the city was on ‘winter alert’ due to the cold temperatures, Pick said, adding “We surveyed about 32 people, all of whom had a home to go to for the night.”
Archive for January, 2007
Seeking the Homeless, Fortunately Failing
Published by Jill Goldstein January 31st, 2007 in New York University. 0 CommentsThe Simpsons and the Ten Commandments
Published by Ben Greenberg January 31st, 2007 in Indiana University. 0 CommentsI should have reported on this earlier, but this series of discussions on The Simpsons and religion will have its second meeting on Wednesday, February 14, at 7:30pm.
Part 2: Commandments 3+4
Episodes: “Bart Sells His Soul” and “Homer the Heretic”
In nearly 400 episodes, The Simpsons has tackled many subjects and none more thouroughly than religion. In this five-part series, we will be watching 10 episodes that correspond with the 10 Commandments and discuss how the show addresses the complexity of ethics in the modern world. Free donuts for all who come. Mmmmm . . . donuts.
Greenblatt Says Obsession Has No Solutions
Published by Jill Goldstein January 31st, 2007 in New York University. 2 CommentsSeveral days after the Obsession screening Washington Square News columnist Aaron Greenblatt writes that the movie and its supporters offer no solutions, but that groups at NYU do:
“…100 Muslims, Jews and Christians dedicated to confronting one of the growing ills of this generation: the demonization of Muslim and Arab culture throughout the world.
[…]
Many students suggested that one of the main problems of “Obsession” is that the film represents the epitome of pulp. One student said the film is like a Starburst: It packs a flavorful punch with its post-production gloss, but it has no veritable nutritional value. With a menacing soundtrack underscoring the movie, interviewees such as former Palestinian Liberation Organization terrorist Walid Shoebat and Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz give the sense of a coming apocalypse. Although they highlight a legitimate problem - that Muslim extremists do have a small, firm hold on a minute segment of the overall Muslim community - the movie takes advantage of the audience’s vulnerabilities and exploits them to create a culture of fear. A culture where rationalism has no place. A culture gripped with prejudices, lacking any insightful understanding of the Other.
[…]
In elucidating his views on “Obsession,” Robert Friedman, a volunteer advocate of the film, likens radical Islam to a disease, and now that he has identified the disease, he explains that we must prescribe a cure. So what does the doctor suggest? He said, “If I were a Muslim, I’d be disgusted, and I would feel compelled to speak out against [these extremist elements].” How profound. The point is that Friedman and the documentary offer no tangible solutions, only overt and paralyzing criticisms.
[…]
In the near future, the Middle East Sustained Dialogue Group and associated organizations are doing just that through bringing Jews and Muslims closer. In the next few months, the Bronfman Center and the Islamic Center are organizing a joint Jewish-Muslim spring break trip to New Orleans to help rebuild the city, and they are also planning an evening of entertainment titled “One Jew, One Muslim, One Stage” for March.”
Iranian President’s Holocaust Denial Discussed by CFJS
Published by Aviva Levy January 31st, 2007 in McGill University. 0 CommentsThe Canadian Federation of Jewish Students met the weekend of January 19th for its annual conference. According to the McGill Tribune, a major topic at the conference was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust.
In response to Ahmadinejad, the CJFS is hoping to “collect over 25,000 signatures from students across Canada to present to the House of Commons in order to persuade politicians to take action against the Iranian government and its president.” Representatives of non-Jewish organizations at the conference include Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, Students Helping Others Understand Tolerance, and Save the Children.
JSU Brings Back the ’90s With Bar Mitzvah Party
Published by Deborah Swerdlow January 31st, 2007 in University of Florida - Gainesville. 0 CommentsUF students will relive their middle school years at the Jewish Student Union’s Bar Mitzvah party on Saturday night.
“Everyone remembers their past Bar/Bat Mitzvah party and how much fun it used to be,” declared JSU President Grant Hubsher, asserting, “now, they can relive the fun.”
The event, which will be held at the Paramount Plaza Hotel, begins at 10 p.m. The event is free and open to all UF students. Dress is semi-formal.
The party will feature dance music, including “some popular new songs, the slow love songs, as well as the classic oldies,” according to Hubsher.
“Other activities that we hope to do during the party include a limbo contest, Hula-Hoop contest and the ‘Coke-and-Pepsi’ game,” Hubsher said, adding “There will also be numerous prizes and giveaways at the party.”
This is the first year JSU has thrown a Bar Mitzvah party, Hubsher said, and the five members of the JSU executive board planned the event.
Student Challenges “History” Presented at SPPIF Forum
Published by Sam Guzik January 31st, 2007 in Washington University. 1 Comment
Michael Safyan handed out pamphlets at the Combatants for Peace forum challenging some of the historical assertions made by panelists
While the Combatants for Peace discussion Monday night was received well by many, one student protested.
Following the presentation, Sophomore Michael Safyan handed out a pamphlet entitled “Big Lies: Demolishing the Myths of the Propaganda War Against Israel.”
Safyan told CampusJ that he was upset that the event put responsibility for the cycle of violence on both sides of the conflict, declaring that the event was “revising the past by impugning my ancestors,” which he said “is not an acceptable grounds for a sustainable peace.”
Safyan’s pamphlets, “Big Lies” from the right-wing Center for the Study of Popular Culture, were not sanctioned by any campus organization, and while he was allowed to hand them out, he was asked to stand outside Ursa’s when he did so.
While leaders of event sponsor Students for a Peaceful Palestinian Israeli Future didn’t agree with Safyan’s message, they emphasized the importance of including all viewpoints.
“People get excited about this topic, but what’s important is that people are just people and we need to respect everyone,” explained SPPIF Co-President Ben Sales in an interview.
Co-President Aviva Joffe expanded on Sales’s message, telling CampusJ that “all attitudes should be shared and discussed, even those which disagree with us; the important thing is to sit and talk about it.”
Some of those who interacted with Safyan expressed skepticism at Safyan’s viewpoint.
“Everyone knows someone who has been killed, everyone has been affected,” said Robert Fares, a freshman. Fares said that both sides had made mistakes in the conflict and that neither said is blameless.
Panelist Shimon Katz opined that part of the benefit of the SPPIF event was that it brought out multiple view points. “You guys are at the stage where you are trying to learn and create your own independent thought,” he said, adding “It’s important to show a different side of things.”
SPPIF Forum Challenges Students
Published by Sam Guzik January 31st, 2007 in Washington University. 0 Comments
Over 100 students and members of the St. Louis community attended the presentation of Combatants for Peace on Monday night, January 29 in Ursa’s Fireside.
The panel discussion, which involved two former Israeli and Palestinian combatants, had as its goal to spark discussion about the Arab-Israeli conflict and facilitate meaningful discussion, towards a peaceful end.
The speakers were Sulaiman al Hamri and Shimon Katz. Al Hamri is the Palestinian coordinator for Combatants for Peace. His long history of peace work includes co-founding Combatants for Peace in April 2006, and working with other Israeli peace groups such as Taayush. Katz served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a combat solider and came to his views of non-violence during his travels in India after leaving active duty.
“My family has spent a total of 25 years in Israeli prisons — we have paid the price in the conflict, yet I remain committed to peace,” said Al Hamri, declaring “it’s a duty to retaliate against an occupation — whether for national motives or religious motives, but it is also a duty to do so peacefully.”
Katz said that “as an Israeli citizen I am obliged to go to the army, just like I am obliged to pay taxes, so I work to find a middle path that will allow me to remain true to my values.”
Junior Aviva Joffe, co-president of Students for a Peaceful Palestinian Israeli Future, which sponsored the event, told CampusJ that “The perspective we were trying to present was that dialogue is a means of bringing peace,” adding, “I was really pleased by the event because people asked challenging questions — a lot of what SPPIF tries to do is ask the hard questions.”
Those attending the forum were intrigued by the unique perspective presented by the former combatants, and the commitment of the participants to the peace process.
“It was nice to hear directly from the [combatants] involved, instead of the media,” said Tyson Meyer, a member of the local community who attended the forum.
Andrea Ginsburg, a senior who attended the forum, said “it made me really happy to see all the people here, It’s good to know that people want peace.”
Katz (left) and al Hamri (right) speaking to students after the forum
Loud Heckling At “Ex-Terrorists’” Lecture
Published by Rivka Bukowsky January 31st, 2007 in Main. 2 Comments
Shouting, a walk-out, police escorting an audience member out - an event called “Terrorism: The World’s Greatest Threat” got pretty wild at the University of Michigan last night. The school’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom organized the event.
Lisa Haidostian and Daniel Trump covered the event for The Michigan Daily.
A large crowd gathered outside of the Rackham Building an hour before the event’s scheduled 7 p.m. start. Flashes of yellow shirts worn by the protesters showed through the winter coats of many in the crowd.
A half hour before the event, YAF Chair Andrew Boyd shouted “We’re ready!” and the doors to the auditorium opened. The aisles filled immediately with people in yellow shirts, who had gathered early for the event.
As the protesters rushed to fill seats, already-seated YAF members stuck their feet out into the aisles.
They ignored YAF Vice President Ryan Fantuzzi’s request that they leave.
Kamal Saleem, who said he was recruited by the PLO at age 7, spoke first. He was interrupted by a woman in the audience who criticized his pro-American stance.
After 15 minutes of Saleem’s speech, the heckling intensified to the point where Saleem stopped speaking and asked the woman to “shut up.”
“Why aren’t the moderate Muslims protesting about the extremists of their faith?” he asked the crowd again prompting loud applause.
After 30 minutes, the protesters in yellow stood up and walked out. There was some jeering from the remaining audience, but the exit went off with little incident.
Roughly a quarter of the seats in the auditorium emptied during the walkout.
After an hour, Fantuzzi took to the stage and issued a warning to the same woman who had continually heckled the speaker. She ignored the warning, and Department of Public Safety officers escorted her from the building.
In the picture, taken by Daily photographer Peter Schottenfels, student Hanan Dakhlallah protests the speakers.
As we reported on the day of his lecture, former President Jimmy Carter said to his audience at Brandeis: “This is the first time that I’ve ever been called a liar and a bigot and an anti-Semite and a coward and a plagiarist.”
Brandeis Professor Robert Greenberg responds: Really? The Justice reports:
In a letter to the editor of The New York Times last week, Greenberg wrote, “This is neither the first time Mr. Carter faced the charge of anti-Semitism nor the first time he turned to Brandeis to bail him out.”
Greenberg wrote that Carter faced accusations of anti-Semitism during his 1976 campaign for President. To clear his name, he sought assistance from his friend, former University President Morris Abram, who served from 1968-1970.
Abram wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on June 5, 1976 defending Carter. He encouraged Jews not to view Carter as intolerant simply because of his Evangelical Baptist beliefs.
He was the best Georgia governor, Abram wrote, because he was the first one to recognize that he governed over all races.
Abram wrote that he was impressed with Carter’s record as governor, particularly with his appointment of a Jewish friend to be chairman of the Georgia University system.
Let’s change it up and look at a positive story about Muslim-Jewish dialogue.
Julia Houlihan profiles Imam Yahya Hendi in The Georgetown Independent. The Palestinian became the first full-time Muslim chaplain at an American university in 1999.
At this year’s Yom Kippur services, Rabbi Harold White invited Hendi to address his congregation. Calm and confident, Hendi immediately commanded the attention of those gathered as he spoke of his children and personal history, imploring everyone to join in his desire for peace that could only come through unity. And he won; at least for the moment there was Muslim-Jewish understanding and appreciation. Upon conclusion, Imam Hendi received a standing ovation that resounded amidst the Catholic iconography that adorns Gaston Hall. The significance is staggering-a Palestinian Muslim had captivated a Jewish audience within the confines of a Catholic University.
[…]
In a recent phone conversation, rushed in typical Hendi-style, I caught Hendi in his car and experienced what I believe to be quintessentially Yahya Hendi. After insisting that this was in fact the perfect time to talk, Hendi discussed the Muslim Prayer Room, how he responds to criticism and finally his overwhelmingly positive relationship with Rabbi White. I scribbled furiously, my thoughts chasing, trying to keep up with the pace of the conversation. I tried to recollect myself and press him to describe how he and Rabbi White interact in the classroom, when I slipped and committed quite the faux pas. “Rabbi Hen… Oh I’m so sorry, I mean…”
“Oh no, please, call me ‘rabbi.’” Hendi went on to say that last year while in Sydney Australia, which he recommended as a destination, he was dialoguing with a local rabbi. They got along quite well, and shared similar ideals. Upon departure, the rabbi said to Hendi “I can give you the title of ‘rabbi.’” Hendi rejoiced in this anecdote and explained that, after all, it’s the same God.
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