Penn should suppress speech it finds inconvenient? Come on, this is not the legacy of Penn. We’re all big boys and girls here. We can decide on our own what to believe. We don’t need Amy Gutmann to censor student groups that might not be the most agreeable.

That “a Jew” is actually Jewish, or has any affiliation to penn?

Are you implying that it’s impossible for Jews and Penn students to support free speech or have unpopular opinions? That would be quite unfortunate, but I’m glad to disprove you.

Would you like me to produce a Bar Mitzvah certificate? Or are you just going to continue the ad hominem attacks because you have nothing productive to add?

i think i added something: levity to a tense situation. I find that someone would write “A Jew” in the box that says “Your Name” funny. It’s great you identify so strongly with your Judaism, but here your use seems more political than religious. You hope to gain something from it, like BDS hoped to gain by quickly organizing the conference at Penn so soon after being allowed access to its physical and intellectual property.

What is your proposal? A phalanx of police to shut down the conference?

“Phalanx of police?” How will they find the place? The location is undisclosed.

my proposal? how about some logical thinking in the place of emotional knee-slapping strategies that are opaque only to those who do not wish to see that they are truly about getting rid of the jewish state.

for example, it is illogical to think that BDS of Israel will help Palestinians in the short or long term, because the Palestinian economy is inextricably linked to Israel’s and the region’s. So in the short-term, BDS from Israel is essentially BDS from the Palestinians. In the long-term, if BDS is truly able to accomplish what it wants, and Israel is “forced” to open to become a non-Jewish state (i.e, where jews comprise less than 50%), WWIII will be right around the corner (though probably WWIV, depending on Iran’s reaction to having their nukes destroyed). Because when that happens, you will see “democracy” again used as a vessel of hate (as it is by allowing this “free speech” at Penn) and jews “democratically” voted to extermination. And when that happens some current critics will finally say, “so I guess Israel really was a democracy.”

btw, a good reason for American’s to support Israel: it is on the front line in fighting regimes that don’t treat their own people right — and you expect they’ll be friendly to you? quite illogical…

@Re: A Jew,

Ah, I see your point; sorry for being overly defensive. I was responding with the same nickname on another article so I was just trying to keep consistent. I take issue with the view that anti-Israeli policies = anti-Semitism, hence the rather silly name.

As for the view above that Israel’s existence as a non-Jewish state would invoke WWIII…I might invoke the slippery slope fallacy?

Do you believe in Israel’s right to exist as the only country in the world with a Jewish majority just as much as you agree with the rights of the 50 countries with majority Muslim populations? If not, you may be more Anti-semite than Anti-Israel…

If you think what I say is a fallacy, again, please review the history of the Holocaust (though not in an Arab-language textbook), and then Israel’s history… it would make sense that after many failed external attempts to wipe Israel off the map, some efforts would refocus on eviscerating Israel internally (i.e., BDS, non-Jewish majority). And of course they apply the same strategy to American Jews: when they can’t attack you 9/11 style (i.e., external), they’ll come at you from the inside: using guilt to make you feel bad for being a member of a group that is inextricably linked to Israel, where your colleagues (at least in religion, if not in spirit) have transformed a desert into a true economic, democratic, and cultural oasis.

Of course I support Israel’s right to exist as a legitimate democracy…I do not support the occupation of the West Bank. This is an important distinction, which many try to blur so they can accuse those who oppose the occupation of being “anti-Semitic.”

I don’t see how losing a Jewish majority would result in “wiping Israel off the map.” Israel’s strength is its democracy, not its ethnic majority.

Israel’s achievements in politics and economics are impressive. That does not make Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians just. Yes, there are anti-Semites and crazies among the BDS crowd, but that should not distract from those who solely have the legitimate goal of establishing a fair two state solution.

“I don’t see how losing a Jewish majority would result in “wiping Israel off the map.” Israel’s strength is its democracy, not its ethnic majority.”

Remarkably naive.

Firstly, just as a person with no horse in the race ( I would do more research on the subject before coming out for a particular cause ), I think it is very telling that the pro-israel folks are sooooooo afraid and outraged by BDS.

Where was all of this alumni outrage when the Westboro Baptist church was on a campus a couple of years ago to protest Hillel? Their message is much more hate-filled, destructive, devoid of logic and universally appalling.

I understand they might disagree but trying to stifle their free speech is something that fans of Israel, especially, should know better than to do. (i refuse to draw hitler comparisons like people have loved to do in this squabble)

The fact of the matter is that, if the pro-Israel community hadn’t gone crazy with full-page ads and the like, this conference would have come and gone in obscurity like so many conferences at penn. BDS probably couldn’t be more ecstatic about the free press.

Pro-Israel folks should realize that they DO NOT own Penn, and if they truly love this university, they should applaud free speech and have a level-headed response to BDS’s presence on campus.

They should have a peaceful and vitriol-less counter rally like they did when Westboro came.