Members of Students for Justice in Palestine Attack Jews at UC Berkeley Hip-Hop Concert

While the event referenced below was not a Tikvah event, we want to express solidarity with the Jewish students who were attacked by members of Students for Justice in Palestine after the Jewish students made a civil request for illegally draped Palestinian flags to be taken down. The Zionist Freedom Alliance statement is below. Dozens and dozens of eyewitnesses, some of which are Tikvah members and others who are not, attest to this statement.

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Members of Students for Justice in Palestine Attack Jews at UC Berkeley Hip-Hop Concert
(Berkeley, CA- November 13, 2008)

We, the Zionist Freedom Alliance student group at Cal, are deeply concerned by the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish and pro-Israel students at UC Berkeley perpetrated by members of Students for Justice in Palestine. On the night of November 13, 2008 at around 6:00 PM, members of Students for Justice in Palestine disrupted our hip-hop concert that celebrated the Jewish connection to the land of Israel. Then they attacked students who asked them to stop their disruption.

Three members of the Students for Justice in Palestine illegally draped large Palestinian flags behind the stage of the concert, which was part of Israel Liberation Week. Yehuda De Sa (one of the performers), Cal alumnus Gabe Weiner, and current ASUC Senator John Moghtader walked to the balcony from which the flags were hanging and asked the students to remove the flags as they misrepresented the concert's message. The SJP members immediately became hostile at this request and current SJP leader Husam Zakharia instigated a physical altercation by striking Weiner on the head. As Weiner and the performer tried to defend themselves, Moghtader stood away from the scuffle and then made a successful effort to break up the fight.

Members of Students for Justice in Palestine shouted anti-Semitic epithets referencing the Holocaust throughout the ordeal. Zakharia and others from SJP were detained by the police and charged with battery. Citizens' arrests were filed against SJP members who took part in the altercation.

The violence, intimidation, and harassment exhibited by members of Students for Justice in Palestine at the concert is only one act in a pattern of similar behavior that they have exhibited towards Jewish and pro-Israel students on this campus. Last year, multiple charges were filed against SJP and some of its members citing harassment, violence, intimidation, and violation of numerous other campus rules. These charges all went ignored by Dean of Students Jonathan Poullard.

We call on state officials, the President of the University of California, the Chancellor, the Dean of Students, faculty, and the student body to take a unified stand against the continued harassment of Jewish and pro-Israel students on this campus, particularly by members of Students for Justice in Palestine.

The Zionist Freedom Alliance Student Group at Cal

Contact: ZFAatUCB@gmail.com

Tikvah on the Finkelstein Event

Tikvah: Students for Israel held a peaceful protest outside the Finkelstein event on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Many students took part in the protest, which sought to highlight Finkelstein's notoriously dangerous and racist views.

The speaker- Norman Finkelstein- is a vocal and adamant supporter of Hezbollah (considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and many others). Beyond that, and most hurtfully, he is a Holocaust revisionist. The Washington Post on December 3, 2002 wrote, “Norman Finkelstein [is] a writer celebrated by neo-Nazi groups for his Holocaust revisionism and comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany.”

Following the protest, a group of students (some from Tikvah and others not) decided to speak out within the actual event.

Those who spoke out respect the right of groups to bring speakers of their choosing to campus in the name of free speech and exercised their right to free speech in response.

None of the protesters used any profanity at the event.

Members of my community and I made sure that our voices would not be silenced in the face of these indescribably hurtful messages.

So long as terrorist supporters and Holocaust revisionists like Finkelstein voice their extremism and hatred on this campus, there will be a louder voice in response.

Antisemitic Vandalism at Berkeley

First General Meeting

Come to Tikvah: SFI's first general meeting of the year!
When: Tuesday, September 9 at 8pm
Where: 101 Moffit
What:
- A presentation about our group highlighting events we hosted last year.
- Introductions from the chairs of each of our 8 committees. Learn about different ways you can get more involved in Tikvah.
- Discussion about events we are planning for the upcoming semester. Your input will help to make our group as productive as possible.
- For those interested, sign-ups for committees.

FREE FALAFEL will be served and you will get the chance to meet others interested in advocating for Israel.

Sign up to get a FREE Tikvah T-shirt.

We're looking forward to an exciting year and we hope to see all of you at the meeting!

Good Stuff to Come...

Welcome back to school! We at Tikvah are excited to start a new year of advocating for Israel on campus. We have tons of great events planned and look forward to meeting anyone who is interested in participating in the club. We'll keep you all updated on our schedule for the year. Be sure to come to our first general meeting (time and place TBA) to find out how you can participate. See you soon!

Video of Prager at Cal

In case you are interested in seeing video of Dennis Prager's speech at Cal for Israel's 60th Birthday, follow this link.

Reflection on Yom Ha'atzmaut

We hope that everyone has had a meaningful Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli Memorial Day, and Israeli Independence Day. If you have not already done so today, now would be a good time to take a moment and read Israel's Declaration of Independence, just to remind yourself of the principles on which Israel was founded.