"Israel Apartheid Week"

Credit to the National Young Israel Organization who sent me the following material, something we should all be concerned about.

A Note from Anna Kolodner, Executive Director of The David Project

Among the many challenges faced by pro-Israel students and supporters, "Israel Apartheid Week" stands out in its defamation and vitriol against the Jewish State. For several years, college campuses and communities across the world have been subjected to the week-long combination of pseudo-academic rhetoric and guerilla theater that is 'Israel Apartheid Week.' These events are traveling circuses where countless speakers angrily denounce Israel as an apartheid state or worse, a Nazi state, and create mock 'apartheid walls' and 'checkpoints' to harass and intimidate students.

These internationally organized efforts explicitly deny Israel's right to defend itself and ultimately its right to exist. They frequently call for the dismantling of Israel, a thinly veiled euphemism for the destruction of the Jewish state. Explicitly equating Israel with two of the worst racist ideologies of the 20th century, apartheid and Nazism, 'Israel Apartheid Week' is designed to make Israel uniquely illegitimate. Historically and logically absurd, this cruel strategy of singling out Israel is intended to make rational debate impossible. Such demonization of Israel as uniquely evil is antisemitic in effect if not intent.

But the 'Israel Apartheid Week' strategy is also intended to single out Israel's supporters on campus and in our communities. Those courageous enough to stand up for Israel are accused of being racists. Jewish students have been subject to a hostile environment which has included harassment and at times threats of violence. These tactics of intimidation have proven effective in stifling legitimate debate and pressuring already weak administrations to remain silent.

As 'Israel Apartheid Week' unfolds, The David Project will be helping students across the country with educational resources, programs and strategies to counter these vicious lies. Our staff is already consulting with students to develop pro-active and strategic responses that advance the truth about Israel, the only true liberal democracy in the Middle East. We have created a new section on our website to make materials available to the public.

Visit www.israelsdemocracy.org, The David Project's web portal for information and materials necessary to refute the apartheid allegation.