With constant images of violence in Israel and the Middle East dominating so much media attention, the source of the Arab-Israeli conflict often gets lost in the media’s day-to-day coverage, argues the David Project, which says in its mission statement that it tries to provide a fair and honest understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict “to defeat the ideological assault on Israel that is taking place on campuses, in high schools, in churches and in the general community.�
Larry Muscant, manager of campus support for the David Project, spoke at Hillel tonight to explain the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict and also illuminate the types of anti-Semitism prevalent in the United States and the world today.
Muscant provided the basic history of the conflict as I have learned it through years of Hebrew School, observing media coverage and talking with my family about it. The conflict between Arabs and Israelis naturally is complex, that Muscant admitted it has been hard to present it in its proper context, one of the reasons why the conflict has been unresolved for so long.
Aside from the history of the conflict, some other interesting points were made during the forum. Muscant claimed that after Israel made unilateral concessions, including the withdrawal from Gaza last year, violence against Israelis has only escalated. Muscant asserted that this unilateral action, though it might seem to favor the Palestinian cause, would never put a rest to violence because the pullout was not decided through negotiations. He also said that there were no negotiations because no one from the Palestinian side was willing to negotiate – a point similar to the one that Robert Zelnick made last week.
The conversation will continue for a second night tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Although I will be going home to New Jersey this weekend to have a nice, laid-back four-day weekend, I have a couple of suggestions about how you can do the same without making the schlep to the Garden State.

For starters, you can check out the Boston Jewish Film Festival running from Oct. 1 - Oct. 12.

For sports fans, I would highly recommend checking out the Israel vs. Russia soccer match coming up on Oct. 7. The Israeli team, which was featured in a Sports Illustrated article last August, almost qualified for the 2006 World Cup. The second floor of Hillel will host a viewing at 11 am.

If anyone’s in the New York area this weekend, Hillel program associate Seth Kroll’s band Family Junction will be playing at the Knitting Factory for two shows: Oct. 7 at 9:45 p.m. and Oct. 8 at 12:45 a.m.

Myself? I’ll be checking these guys out at The Idle Hour in Point Pleasant, New Jersey on Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. for all my ’80s music needs.

Last night’s multi-faith break-fast turned out to be pretty successful. The turnout matched expectations, totaling somewhere above 300 people. For the most part, people from different faiths dispersed themselves throughout the dining room to be with people of different religions. The dinner could have possibly had an even larger turnout, but a lot of Jewish students I talked to said they already had made plans to break the fast, a lot of them actually going home.
I talked to Neema Shah, coordinator of the Hindu Student Council, one of the three faiths represented at the dinner. He writes by e-mail:

When BU Hindu Students Council was invited to collaborate for the Multi-Faith Dinner, I was so excited. We were thrilled to be part of such a monumental step in uniting faith on our campus. It was great to see the diversity on our campus come together for such an event. The dinner was an opportunity to learn about each others customs, beliefs and traditions.

Shah estimated that about 40 Hindu were at the dinner, and he said they made a point to spread themselves across the room to meet people of other faiths. “Overall, I thought the event was beautiful, and I hope to see this become an annual tradition here at Boston University,â€? he wrote.

Check out the Chabad House Friday night Sept. 29 for a performance from comedian Richard Morris, a frequent late night talk show guest. The show starts at 9 p.m. after dinner and services at 7 p.m.
Stay tuned for more coming up about Yom Kippur’s multi-faith fast-breaking dinner.

When Jewish students sit down to break the Yom Kippur fast next Monday night, they will have some company.
In an event hosted by the International Students Consortium along with the Howard Thurman Center, BU Hillel, the Islamic Society and the Hindu Student Council will sit down together at 7 p.m. on Oct. 2 to break the fasts of Yom Kippur, Ramadan and Dussera, respectively.
Hillel’s Director of Student Activities Kip Lombardo said Boston University is the first school he knows of that is putting together a multi-faith dinner of this magnitude.
“No one else is doing this kind of joint program, and it really reaches out,� Lombardo said, explaining the dinner is meant to bring separate faiths together, though not to explore the religious aspects of the fasts.
“It’s about finding common ground,� Lombardo said. “We’re not looking to throw Hanukah decorations on a Christmas tree
Lombardo said the overall appeal of the dinner is to bring together student groups and connect Hillel to BU in a broader sense. Event organizers expect 300 people to attend the dinner in the GSU Metcalf Hall. Students can reserve their spot at dinner by emailing budinner@gmail.com by Sept. 27.