Originally published at JewishAZ.com
Amid the heart-wrenching terrorist attacks that were committed in Jerusalem this week, we face the unfortunate fact that anti-Semitism has spread throughout the United States, specifically on university campuses.
As a student at Arizona State University, I have witnessed and been faced with anti-Semitism. I am a proud Sun Devil and am involved in numerous pro-Israel and Jewish clubs and organizations on campus – such as Hillel and Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity – and I feel it is my duty to speak out against such anti-Semitism.
Just the other day as I was walking to my Hebrew class, I saw on one of our lawns a display erected by Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP) that blatantly demonized Israel, accusing it of being an apartheid state and comparing Israeli policies to those of the Nazi party in the 1940s. Outraged, frustrated, and confused, I approached the SJP students and engaged them in a calm dialogue. I simply asked them what their stance was on Israel.
These students responded forcefully by denouncing Israel’s right to exist and accusing Israel of murdering thousands of innocent Palestinians. I stood there baffled by their response, but I continued to speak to them peacefully. I simply wanted to understand their stance on Palestinian injustices.
However, as the conversation deepened, they insisted on demonizing Israel and refusing to recognize Israel as a state. Nothing was mentioned about the atrocities of either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority or the terrorist acts that have been committed during the Intifadas, or recent attacks in Jerusalem.