Peloni: I recall Ted making a similar suggestion to that raised by Gilmore a little over a year ago following an article by Geoffrey Clarfield. In that article, Clarfield called for Bar Ilan to establish branch campuses across the US to provide the American Jews an opportunity to gain a Zionist education which would be secure from violent bigotry and antisemitic indoctrination. The counter suggestion of bringing young Diaspora Jews to study in Israel, as described in Gilmore’s article below, provides immensely important benefits which has been made even more essential with the antisemitic outrages raised against Jews on campuses all across the Diaspora in the months following October 7. This being stated, I think it is important to note the point raised in Clarfield’s article that “Bar-Ilan University is the only Zionist university left in Israel.” With this in mind, would it not be an even more powerful policy proposal that the Jews of the Diaspora coming to Israel should gain a Zionist education by attending Bar Ilan University?
Jewish students in Israel would experience an empowering Jewish and Israeli experience, deepen their knowledge of their roots, and strengthen their sense of belonging.
By INBAL RATZ GILMORE | JPOST | May 28, 2024
A DEMONSTRATOR holds a placard as Columbia University students protest outside offices of University Trustees, in New York City, earlier this month. (credit: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS)
In a time of rising antisemitism and intensified threats to Jewish communities, the realization of our responsibility toward the Diaspora is a practical expression of the principle that all Jews are responsible for one another, as well as of the close bond between all segments of the Jewish people.
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