Mairav Zonszein and Miriam Felton-Dansky on Visions for a Progressive Israel

                                    By Mairav Zonszein and Miriam Felton-Dansky

Extremist voices pushing rigid “pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestinian” positions have come to dominate the discourse on many campuses across North America, obscuring the issues and alienating significant numbers of Jewish and other moderate students.  The Union of Progressive Zionists (UPZ) – a not-for-profit student organization advocating across North American campuses for peace and social justice in Israel and Palestine –  was created to provide guidance and resources to students who seek to impart a progressive voice into the discussion of Mideast issues.

This past September 16-18, the UPZ launched the 2005-06 year of activism with its second annual student leadership conference entitled: “Visions for a Progressive Israel.” One hundred activists from 38 campuses across the United States and Canada convened for the weekend at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Reisterstown, MD, where they learned from prominent figures in Israeli and Palestinian peace activism, and formulated strategies to further the UPZ’s goal of promoting  nuanced, civil and inclusive dialogue on campus regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Author, journalist and educator Dr. Leonard Fein opened the conference with a talk entitled “Between the Honey and the Thorn: Progressive Zionism Past and Present.” The head of the World Zionist Organization's Hagshama/University Students Department, Haim Hayet, spoke about the importance of voting in the World Zionist Congress elections, emphasizing that the Zionist movement must address moral shortcomings within its own ranks, renounce the idea of being occupiers, and seek fulfillment of the Zionist dream by achieving the recognition and acceptance of Israel that only a just and secure settlement with the Palestinians can offer. Other featured speakers included: Yael Dayan,  deputy mayor of Tel Aviv, who spoke alongside the executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine, Rafi Dajani, on disengagement and “The Day After”; M. J. Rosenberg, director of policy analysis for the Israel Policy Forum, spoke on the climate in Congress and the pro-Israel lobby; and Ambassador-at-Large Philip Wilcox, provided a briefing on the Israeli settlements and the importance of American mediation.

Workshops and breakout sessions included a crash course on campus organizing with Temple University teacher and activist Elliot Ratzman, a discussion on media coverage with Gabrielle Birkner of the New York Jewish Week and the staff of the Jewish students' magazine, New Voices, and a session on making the best use of Hillel and other campus resources with Ilan Wagner, North American emissary for the Jewish Agency. Other organizations represented on panels and in workshops included the Jewish Dialogue Group and Americans for Peace Now.  Additional topics included: the connection of American Jews to Israel, how to respond to divestment campaigns, and how to create successful dialogue programs dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Students met in small groups over the course of the weekend, where they discussed the UPZ’s statement of principles and identified issues they would most like to engage with this year. These include: educating around the concept of progressive Zionism, including what it means for Israel to be both a Jewish and a democratic state; acting to end the development of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories and pushing for a two-state solution; plus advocating for equal rights and economic parity for all citizens and residents of Israel. At a "town hall" meeting on Saturday night, students brainstormed ideas for nationally coordinated events and campaigns. They also formed committees to plan and manage such tasks as: ongoing individual campus programming, simultaneous national events, response teams and policy statements, communication and networking, and a task force for integrating small campuses.

One participant, Michael Jensen, a senior at Marlboro College, was moved to summarize the conference's impact in a personal way:

"The weekend provided a communal framework within which I could explore the meaning of my Jewish and civil identities and also not feel alone in my commitment to the cause of social justice. This sense of place and interconnectedness is one of the rarest and most meaningful and empowering gifts an individual can receive. I am speaking, after all, as a college student and supporter of organizations that have been marginalized for their positions, often to the point that they are completely ignored.

"As a strong supporter of Israel, I find it necessary to make a distinction between what is pro-Israel – meaning what is in the best interest of the State of Israel and its citizens – and what is pro-Israeli government. The term "pro-Israel" claims both these definitions by a carelessly examined default.  The UPZ, however, believes that certain actions taken by the Israeli government are not in the best interest of Israel and its citizens. Many leading figures in the Jewish community, to my perpetual amazement, still consider this most basic of political truths a corrosive radical notion, which can only work to compromise Israel’s prosperity and security.

"When the UPZ and other progressive Zionist organizations critique Israeli government policies, particularly those involving Palestinians, they are speaking from a very pro-Israel stance.  As if to illustrate my point, M. J. Rosenberg indicated that AIPAC is not a pro-Israeli lobby, but instead a pro-Israeli government lobby that supports policies that are harmful to Israel."

MAIRAV ZONSZEIN is executive director of the UPZ and MIRIAM FELTON-DANSKY is the director of programming and academic affairs for Meretz USA. For more information on the UPZ, contact Mairav Zonszein by telephone: 212.206.9909, fax: 212.929.3450 or e-mail: <director@upzshalom.org>, or visit the Web site <UPZshalom.org>.