Re: StandWithUs

I attended the first meeting of the RI chapter of the StandWithUs advocacy group on Oct.  Although I don’t share their political views on Israel, the professionals were, well, very professional.

The same could not be said for much of the crowd in the room.  Even StandWithUs’ right-leaning positions were too liberal for this crowd. One person interrupted and yelled down the Brown student who was a StandWithUs campus ambassador for expressing some sympathy for Palestinians. She went on a rant, yelling that the Palestinians were trying to kill all the Jews and drive us off the planet. The next speaker accused StandWithUs of not being aggressive enough, asking how we could have a dialogue “when they have a gun to our heads.” Several people expressed hostility toward the Brown Hillel for not being hawkish pro-Israel enough, sponsoring activities by J Street and hosting Palestinian speakers.

Much of the discussion expressed a deep sense of victimhood that seemed out of touch with reality. The speaker who warmed up the crowd (not from StandWithUs) described a political environment of widespread anti-Semitism, using anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment interchangeably. She asserted that the current era is like 1937 Nazi Germany. Actually, America today is not at all like 1937 Germany. Americans consistently support Israel at the level of 62 percent or so, and, as a Pew poll this summer showed, Jews are the most well-liked religious group in America.

StandWithUs’ advocacy strategy emphasizes positive publicity about Israel and fostering personal relationships across groups with different political views on Israel. Given the hostility expressed by many in the audience toward their fellow Jews in Rhode Island, the StandWithUs professionals appear to have their work cut out for them.

Nina Tannenwald

Providence, R.I.