The Jewish Academy of Chelm: Hillel in America

by Lee Kaplan, INN

If you’re having your coffee while reading this, you had better sit down.

The Hillel Foundation exists on campuses all across the United States. Its purpose, of course, is to provide a place on campus where Jewish students can mingle, socialize and, of course, do “Jewish” things. When it comes to Shabbat dinners, or Hebrew lessons, or Israeli folk dancing, Hillel is the place to be. But when it comes to politics, Hillel is the collegiate center of Chelm.

You see, Hillel runs by what they call a “big tent” that includes all points of view, sort of like academic freedom with blinders on.

For years, I’ve warned Hillel leaders that groups like the ISM held seminars in US campuses where they discussed infiltrating Hillel with members of their Palestine Solidarity Movement. Their aim: to use Jewish facilities to propagandize and work against the existence of Israel and, frankly, to sucker the Jews into aiding the enemy. Hillel’s reaction was to silence me whenever possible, not correct the problem. CONTINUE

February 13, 2007 | 4 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest

4 Comments / 4 Comments

  1. Laura, I don’t know why, but I keep getting 2000-year flashbacks to a time when the Jews could have defeated the Romans in Jerusalem, had it not been for the fact that they (the Jews) were too busy killing each other and burning their food stores…

  2. I personally destroyed the Million Mom March

    You really have delusions of grandeur Bill. Check out MMM’s website, they are still very much active.

    Anyway Hillel is a disgrace. It’s a wonder we survive considering so many of our own undermine us and aid our enemies. You never see any arab/muslim groups promoting the interests of Jews and Israel.

  3. Shlomo,

    Totally agree. I’m pretty much a secular Jew. I married a convert (I wouldn’t marry her other wise) and I insisted our kids get a Jewish education, learn Hebrew, etc.

    I’m proud to be part of the Jewish Nation.

    You are right. It is a shanda.

    Jews took a big wrong turn when they turned ghetto culture into a political philosophy i.e. socialism.

    BTW #2 son is graduating from one of those Golden Calf institutions. The University of Chicago. My alma matter. He went on full scholarship.

    As to his political philosophy? He loved Zell Miller’s speach at the Republican convention. So I think he is on the right path.

  4. The problem I think lies in the fact that we as parents have failed our children. Since we value rational secularism and materialism over our Judaism, we think peace is the ultimate goal when in fact justice should be our ultimate aim. Our kids would be better off in Yeshivahs than our current golden-calf institutions of so-called higher learning. Life-long Jewish education combined with parental role-models will begin to solve this “shanda”. This is a disgrace and really sickens me.

Comments are closed.