Jewish Students Speaking Out In Senate Meeting Feel Heard by Peer Representatives
Sharon Abauds & Staff

Early Wednesday March 25th I got a call about the MSA sponsored
Senate Resolution to Boycott Israel. It was going to be debated in
Senate Chambers later that same day. It was a rude wake-up call
For me and for many others at CSULB. Hearing that the first vote
count was 11 in favor and 6 abstaining, I was shocked that the Student
Senate was possibly just hours away from passing a resolution to
boycott Israel.
With the help from Roberta Said of StandWithUs, a speech
was quickly written and I was able to speak before the Senate to
dispute the bias of the document, and that it was inappropriately
political for an ASI Resolution.
Senator Ruben Cordova, College of Business who said, “it’s very
politically charged and ASI shouldn’t be involved in a conflict between two parties” backed up my position. After two hours of discussion in which ASI Treasurer, Brian Troutner talked about the difficulty of breaking University contracts with Motorola and Caterpillar. Senator Everett Bryan of the College of Engineering said the negative effect of the boycott will be felt on students, not companies and would have no impact on Israel. Additionally he agrees that the resolution is not humanitarian based, but instead it’s politically charged.
At the meetings end, I was proud of us at Hillel, and proud of the Senators who gave the issue their attention, not just passing it through as they had the week before.
I don’t agree with Professor Lowe who is Jewish, but supports the boycott and thinks that most Jews also would. Israel is not popular on college campuses around the world, and its detractors have grown accustomed to that.
Our Campus is has become more publicly anti-Israel every year I have been here.
Muslim students erect walls, and hang vile cartoon posters of Jews, and their supporters make campus “street theater” events in which Israeli soldiers are portrayed as masochistic monsters and are identified with a golden Star of David, a universal reference to all Jews.
During last year’s “Holocaust in the Holy land Week,” Hillel and Israel supporters were busy celebrating Israel’s 60th birthday by sharing information about Israel’s environmental strides, diversity, technology and humanitarian aid, and were passing out birthday cake. Staying positive is hard when hatred is being blasted from a PA system around the corner.
Speakers have come on campus to openly incite intolerance against “Israeli baby-killers” and to cheer for Hamas as “freedom fighters.” I have seen University police look on as members of the MSA has verbally assaulted young women and men. When presented to the Director of Student Life and Development or the Judicial review, students are presented with a no options, as these offices claim that the Freedom of Speech protects all speech on campus. What is scary for me as a student at CSULB, is that the University is silent, not using its own institutional right of free speech to distance itself from the message of hate.
The Senate will hold a third hearing after Spring Break if the MSA prepares another draft of its resolution, but no matter what we saw that with support, defenders of Israel are also capable of being heard and taken into consideration despite campus bias.
We cannot get frustrated and give up. We should encourage all people to use the same freedom of speech rights that we feel threatens us as a group. Our education system forms the society of tomorrow, and getting only one side of the issue will not create critical thinkers in important matters.
You can view the Resolution on line at C