Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School was recently honored to have Shoshana Palatnik speak to our students. She is the director of the film, "Crossing the Line 2." The seniors had the privilege to hear her speak about the rising anti-semitism on college campuses. She explained to us that it is so important to be able to respond and to be able to address the anti-semitism that affects college campuses, where many of us will hopefully be next year. Palatnik explained to us that colleges and universities in New York, including Brooklyn College, John Jay College, New York University, Columbia University, and Cornell University are highly affected by anti-semitism today. It was brought to our attention that anti-semitism usually takes the form of anti-Zionism to disguise opposers' racism against the Jewish people. We were encouraged to learn more about Israel and get our hands on as much information as we can so that we can be equipped to stand up for ourselves in the future by making the right case for Israel. Palatnik advised us not to get involved in arguments or violent demonstrations, rather to speak to our friends on college campuses about how awesome Israel is. Then, those friends that we make may come to us, seeking information about Israel that we can provide for them and convince them to support Israel.
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| Ms. Palatnick with our Israel Activism Student Commissioners and faculty advisor, Mr. Rothbort |
She encouraged us to participate in Pro-Israel clubs or Hillels when we get to college. If we decide on seminary or Yeshivah University where there is no present anti-semitism, we can choose to participate in Israel clubs on colleges that experience anti-semitism. Also, as students we can write op-Eds responding to anti-Israel articles in newspapers and on media sites to express support for Israel and inform the public. By doing this, we can show other students our support for Israel and encourage others to support Israel by showing them the truth about Middle East conflicts. This assembly was extremely effective and interactive. Thank you, Ms. Palatnik, for coming all the way from Jerusalem to speak to us!
~Sarah Torgueman, Class of 2016
