What follows is an exchange of emails at Princeton today over a rally tomorrow at the campus. The exchange is being widely- and anonymously-circulated, so I'm going with it. The first letter is from Princeton Hillel director, Rabbi Julie Roth to the "Jewish community." The second, a response, is from Eldar Shafir, a professor of Psychology, and was sent to a huge list that includes Jews on Princeton's directory.
1. Roth letter
Dear Students, Colleagues, and Friends,
Join
me this Saturday night, January 9th [sic; 10th] at 6:30 PM in Palmer Square for a
brief public gathering in support of Israel. The leadership of our
local Jewish community, including the Center for Jewish Life, local
synagogues, the Jewish Federation, and Jewish Family and Children's
Services invite us to join together to show our love for Israel and our
prayers for lasting peace in the region. It will be cold, but we have
deliberately chosen to stand outside to make a public statement of
solidarity with Israel and to join together as a Jewish community. I
hope to see you there, together with your family and friends.
Please forward this invitation to others.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Julie Roth
2. Shafir letter
Re: Community Gatherings for Israel
This is not the forum for anything resembling political debates,
hence my apologies in advance. But given the peace-loving tone of the
message below [Roth letter], it is important to remember that loving someone does not
always warrant an unconditional show of support and solidarity. In
fact, it is easy to see many ways in which such support can be
misguided and harmful.
If nothing else, it is at least worth considering what some
Israelis, who probably love Israel no less than any one on this list,
feel about it (and noting that this kind of stance is
considered legitimate enough in Israel — as opposed to most of the US
— to appear in the most respectable mainstream press):
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051317.html [The link is to one of Gideon Levy's recent articles, The IAF, "Bullies of the Clear Blue Skies."]
This is to say that one could choose to express one's love for Israel by staying away from Palmer Square this Saturday.
Sincerely,
ES
