To the Editor:
Last week's talk by Yonatan Shapira, an Israeli reserve pilot who has refused to fly missions against terrorist targets, was all too typical of Israel-related events sponsored by the Jewish Studies program.
It was typical in that it represented extreme-left views far from the Israeli mainstream. In its treatment of Israel, the Jewish Studies program has degenerated into a program of leftist political indoctrination rather than one of education. Yes, we need to hear from the left, but where is the balance? Some 500 Israelis out of hundreds of thousands in the reserves have refused to serve (two of these have now appeared at Dartmouth this year). Wouldn't it be nice to hear the views of the other 99 percent of reservists who serve willingly in Israel's war against terror?
Even the far-left Meretz party, with six of the 120 members of the Israeli Knesset, has declined to endorse the refusal movement. But most of the speakers sponsored by Jewish Studies come from this fringe group. It is as though an American Studies program in Europe exposed its students only to American speakers who were to the left of Michael Moore and Ralph Nader.
When should Dartmouth students expect to hear other views of Israeli policy? Might it not be educational for example to hear the views of a centrist Israeli or, heaven forbid, a supporter of the government?
Last week's event was typical as well in that it was largely ignored by students: the audience seemed to be drawn mostly from the local anti-Israel community (generally unaffiliated with Dartmouth). This is some consolation, since it suggests that the indoctrination program is not particularly successful. However, one must ask why Dartmouth resources are being squandered in promoting the personal political activism of some of its faculty members.