Turnstile

by Stacy Oliver

Several days before the start of Winter Quarter last year, my mother and I made our annual trip to the store for necessities. As we careened through the aisles with our cart, we ran into a couple that have been friends of the family for a number of years. Not only is the husband one of my uncle's best friends, he also was my religious school teacher in the fifth grade. Howard, or Uncle Howie as former students affectionately refer to him, managed to make the history of the Jewish people a mildly interesting topic to this 10-year-old. We chatted with the couple for a few minutes before parting ways.

While my mother and I continued down the soap aisle, I looked at her and said, "Theodore Herzl was the father of the Zionist movement." My mother gave me the bewildered look that means she has no clue what I'm talking about. I explained, "Uncle Howie taught me that. When we learned about Zionism and the Jewish belief in our homeland, he taught about Theodore Herzl." My mom asked why I didn't mention to him that I had never forgotten that, and I simply shrugged.

The recent tensions in the Middle East have created mixed feelings for me. While I understand the struggle in the occupied territory, a land claimed by two groups of people with very different beliefs, I don't understand the need for violence and anger. I have several friends in the Israeli army, and the threat of violence makes me acutely aware of the danger they are put in daily. I also have friends who believe in the Palestinian occupation of the land, and I know the threat they and their families feel.

However, I've found that the most disturbing part of the struggle for land in Israel is that I no longer feel comfortable on the Ohio University campus. Several weeks ago, the Palestinian Student Union led a march on College Green protesting the Jewish occupation of Israel. I received an e-mail from Rabbi Elena Stein that was sent to the Jewish students en masse asking us not to approach the group and stay off the green if possible during that time.

By making me feel unwelcome on College Green, the Palestinian students managed to do on a smaller scale what is going on in Israel. One group of people was intimidated and made uncomfortable on a piece of land that easily could be shared. College Green is far from the occupied territory, but it is a place where I am supposed to be able to walk, sit or enjoy the city. Instead, I stayed in my room and read about the protest in the newspaper later that week.

Recently, the Palestinian Student Union distributed fliers announcing a moderated discussion about the tensions in the Middle East. While they managed to find representatives from Palestine as well as experts on Middle East history, the state of Israel is being represented simply by, "A Jewish Representative." No name was given, no identity clarified, and yet this person is supposed to speak on behalf of an entire religion.

The wording on the sign also made it apparent that the discussion would not be balanced. While one speaker was listed as a native of Palestine, the name "Israel" was never used. Just as being Israeli does not denote being Jewish, being Jewish does not imply being a Zionist. It is obvious that the Palestine Student Union has no intention of making this a fair forum.

I understand the crisis in the Middle East. I understand that there are two groups of people who feel they are entitled to a piece of land that has no deed to trace. I understand that as a college student in Athens, Ohio, differing opinions exist on my campus, and I am willing to hear them. I also understand, though, that as a Jew living in America, I have the right to feel comfortable where I live.

I never did tell Uncle Howie that I remember Theodore Herzl. Herzl wanted a Jewish homeland so that Jews could live free of religious persecution. While Zionism, the movement that Herzl was so faithful to, is the specific belief in a Jewish homeland, I believe he understood the need for everyone to have a piece of land on which to feel safe. There isn't much OU students can do to make the land across the ocean comfortable for both parties; College Green, on the other hand, should be an occupied territory. Occupied, that is, by everyone.

Oliver can be reached at so347798@ohio.edu