The estimable Jonathan Hoffman (co-Vice Chair, Zionist Federation) is speaking at a debate tomorrow evening at Queens’ College Cambridge. The topic is “Israel/Palestine: What should we do next?”
The debate is arranged by ‘Cambridge Gaza Solidarity’. It is a somewhat, ahem, disproportionate panel: the other three speakers are all hostile, including Betty Hunter of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Each speaker has 10 minutes, then the debate is thrown open to the floor.
There was recently an ‘occupation’ in Cambridge. Unlike some other university authorities, Cambridge did not concede any of the occupiers’ demands. So feelings will no doubt be running high. Please attend and support Jonathan if you can. As he says: “It is an open meeting. Support welcome. Any shoes that come my way will be donated to my local Samaritans shop.”
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Thanks Chas. I’m pleased (very pleased) that Dr Christopher Clark – a historian from St Catherines College – has agreed to chair the meeting.
Good luck! Please report back!
Jonathan wishing you best of luck, you are doing a wonderful job in the constant media battle.
Hope it will be safe Jonathan. Followers of the Religion of Peace have been known to do terrible ‘peaceful’ things in the name of their religion.
Give those ‘Queens’ a bashing, Jonathan – I was at Clare Hall (a graduate college) in quieter and more genteel days. I still have my Cambridge Union membership card somewhere.
Kol Hakavod to Jonathan. We are most fortunate to have someone of his high calibre to present the facts about Israel in an elequent and calm manner.
Thanks to all of you. I pushed for a strong and independent Chairman and Jessica (the excellent organiser) got Professor Christopher Clarke, a historian, of St Catharine’s College who was absolutely fantastic. We went from 7:40 until about 10:00 with 100-150 people there. People were generally appreciative that I agreed to be there which was welcome.
Highlights: When asked to support the continuation of a Jewish State, the other three equivocated. The JFJFP representative said ‘it depends what you mean by Israel’ Yet the JFJFP statement says “Peace in the Middle East … must be seen as just by both sides”. The questioner who asked ‘why should there not be one Jewish State when there are 25 Muslim States and 30 Christian ones?’ was jeered. A number of the audience said ‘Jews use the charge of antisemitism to suppress criticism of Israel’ which is nonsense. (The ‘Livingstone Manoeuvre’) People who say that can never give examples. It is simply an attempt to remove the opprobrium from antisemitism. After the meeting one of the organisers told me that the Panel was ‘balanced’ because three out of the four speakers was Jewish….
One questioner (you know who you are) asked whether Israel ’s ‘racially-based’ citizenship law was the same as the Nazis’ Aryan laws. An unashamedly antisemitic question (he knew exactly what he was saying) but no one seemed to bat an eyelid. I should have remonstrated but I was so surprised I just said something like ‘that question goes very near the border you know’
Thank you Jonathan for your efforts (on all our behalf) trying to keep a level of sense, and sensibility, in the increasingly disturbing debate around the future of Israel
r & d