Words to the Wise on Campus

It is difficult to talk about Israel on campus these days without apologizing, cringing, crying or yelling. Sadly, most Jewish students appear flummoxed by the campus propaganda skirmishes the Palestinian violence has triggered. Most young Jews are too distant from Israel and too conflict-averse to withstand the intense anti-Zionist barrage. Culturally, most third and fourth generation suburban Jews prefer analyzing, criticizing or ignoring Israel to defending it. Substantively, most Jewish students know more about Sharon Stone than they do about Palestinian stone throwers.

Yasser Arafat's war, unfortunately, has targeted all Jews — wherever they stand politically. The jump in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide and the terrorism unleashed against Jews on both sides of the Green Line prove that, these days, you don't have to be a Sharon supporter to be targeted as a "Zionist racist." Moderates who supported Oslo have a special responsibility to defend Israel. Their participation can help sift critics of Israeli policies from anti-Zionists who reject the Jewish state's right to exist. Moderates may also be able to blunt the polarizing tendencies that have made some universities resemble sets of "The Jerry Springer Show" rather than seats of learning.

With that in mind, all supporters of Israel, from the left to the right, might want to consider some pointers for discussing Israel.

For starters, insist on ground rules. Not every argument must be met; not every distortion has to be corrected. If the terms of the debate will prejudice the outcome, sometimes silence is the best response. Activists need to clarify their goals and identify their audience, appealing to those who are undecided and ignoring close-minded antagonists.

Moreover, pro-Israel activists must demand intellectual parity. Do not debate Israel's right to exist unless the debate questions the rights of all nations to exist, from Switzerland to Swaziland. Similarly, before debating whether Zionism is racism, determine if the debate will also address the exclusionary character of all nationalisms, including Palestinian nationalism.

In short, while establishing boundaries, seize the initiative. At Harvard in the 1980s, Alan Dershowitz would begin his debates with PLO supporters by demanding that they first condemn the murder of schoolchildren. This demand often made the interlocutor defensive, and it reminded the audience that terrorism was immoral. Similarly, today it is helpful — and morally necessary — to condemn terrorism against civilians. One can note that Israel has condemned the one band of Jewish outlaws that operates in the West Bank, while polls say that 80% of Palestinians cheer the suicide bombers who have murdered dozens of innocents. One can also demand an affirmation of Israel's right to exist. Israeli governments of the right and left have recognized the Palestinians' national claims. Unless Israel's critics also recognize Jews' legitimate national rights, dialogue is doomed.

Meanwhile, don't get carried away with clever strategies and verbal acrobatics. Keep it simple — it will sound more real that way. Better to remain calm and reasonable, even if the other side is lying outrageously, as often happens.

Israel, like all states, has its faults. It is easier, and more intellectually honest, to concede some imperfections, rather than claim that every Israeli is always perfect — or that the Palestinians are all bad.

Still, it is helpful to accentuate the positive — to contrast Israel's offer of peace and a Palestinian state with the Palestinian response of violence and suicide bombings, and to contrast Israel's robust democracy with Mr. Arafat's corrupt kleptocracy. Last February, for example, instead of bracing for attacks about Mr. Sharon's election, Jews on campus could have emphasized the wonder that, despite the violence, Israel had free elections.

Accentuating the positive also means focusing on other Jewish identity issues. One campus activist, remembering how shocked she was by the Arab barrage last fall, said, "So, of course, we dropped all the stupid stuff like Shabbat dinners and getting to know you dances." Such "stupid stuff" remains essential. Student activists should not simply be Zionist crusaders. They need to build their community and to nurture their souls.

While accentuating the positive, it also helps, as the old song goes, to "eliminate the negative." Campus Jews have spent too much time on the defensive. By now, the other side's patterns are clear. On those campuses where Palestinians and leftists have intimidated Jewish students distributing pro-Israel pamphlets, Jews need to take pre-emptive action. Keeping a video camera or tape recorder handy or turning to neutral students and professors to serve as witnesses often inhibits aggressive partisans. If students do not demand civility (and, of course, if they do not behave civilly) the situation on campus will only deteriorate.

Finally, all students must learn, learn and learn some more. Learning means more than arming yourself with useful facts and clever debating points. It is better for Jewish students to read for an hour about the history of the conflict than to contribute another sad chapter to the conflict by arguing with those who will not be convinced after 10 hours of screaming.

These hints, of course, are only a start. But if students insist on terms; Seize the initiative; Remain real and true to themselves; Accentuate the positive; Eliminate the negative and learn, learn, learn, Israel will not only benefit, we all will — by building deeper ties with each other and with our homeland.