Beach Hillel Awards Brunch
May 18th, 2008
11:30-1:30
CSU Long Beach
in the Walter Pyramid

Join the Celebration of a wonderful year as we salute:

Graduating Students
The Hebrew Hammers Co-Ed Softball Team
Inductions into the Beach Hillel Hall Sports Hall of Fame

RSVP: 562 426-7601 x 1424

complimentary parking

Elizabeth Cubbon
Beach Hillel sets up information booth to spread awareness of Israel’s creation

Students ate cake and read pamphlets about Israel Wednesday near the Psychology Building.
Beach Hillel continued the Cal State Long Beach Israel Week and “Israel @ 60″ celebrations with a “Visit Israel” informational tent in front of the Psychology Building Wednesday.

The Jewish club handed out “Happy 60th Israel” cake in recognition of the 60 years since Israel declared statehood and the Jewish independent state was re-established.

The organization also distributed information about studying abroad, free trips and volunteer programs.

“It’s a real success,” said Ashley Austin, a junior biology and human development major. “People like the cake and are picking up pamphlets. Hopefully, people can learn about Israel, which is really important.”

The tent also provided information about Israel’s environment and medical programs, as well as arts, sports and innovations.

“It’s a very peaceful ceremony,” Austin said. “We’re providing factual information in a non-violent way. It’s a birthday party. We’re celebrating; that’s why there’s cake.”

Rachel Bookstein, a staff member at the University Interfaith Center and adviser for Hillel, explained that the celebration is like America’s Fourth of July for Israel.

“It gives students a sense of pride,” Bookstein said. “Our Jewish society is diverse, and we’re celebrating multiethnic identity because we’re all connected to Israel.”

One of the trips advertised was “Birthright Israel,” which, according to Bookstein, is a travel program for Jewish young adults that organizes free trips throughout Israel.

“Everyone has opinions about Israel, but they’ve never been,” Bookstein said.
Beach Hillel sets up information booth to spread awareness of Israel’s creationStudents ate cake and read pamphlets about Israel Wednesday near the Psychology Building.
Students also sang “Happy Birthday,” and later Jewish meditation songs accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

“We’re a clearing house for information,” Bookstein said, explaining that the Multicultural Center is a resource for all students.

Israel Week will continue with a community celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday on today at the Barbara and Ray Alpert Jewish Community Center in Long Beach from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with music and food.

The story is not new to those of us in Long Beach or at CSULB, but the word is out about Kevin MacDonald and it is making its way around the non-racist, anti-bigotry circuit.

The Southern Poverty Law Conference report earlier this year was followed by CSULB faculty and Departments denouncing and distancing themselves from the infamous Prof.

In large measure we can thank Prof Jeffrey Blutinger for his taking the lead on campus among faculty. His efforts have taken an issue that was a “well known dirty secret” of CSULB that was generally shrugged off with a “what can we do - its an academic freedom issue” to a situation where people are no longer afraid to use their own freedom of speech to condemn the racist and academically false and morally bankrupt opinions he spouts.

As Beach Hillel and Jewish students and supporters celebrate the 60th anniversary of the modern state of Israel the CSULB MSA showcase the worst in anti-Jewish stereotypes: Going full force with a guerrilla theater presentation of Jewish soldiers beating CSULB students dressed as Muslim school children, a pregnant woman and an unarmed docile man… Film Footage will be on YouTube later today. VIDEO BELOW

Promoting hatred with classic anti-Jewish blood libel tactics is protected free speech on campus.

I wonder how students and administrators would react to a theatrical presentation of a Native American scalping a white woman if it was presented by the Minute Men, or a forced Clitoral Excision or Honor Killing of Muslim girl at the hands of her family? I doubt it would be accepted with such calmness.
Pictured here: Hillel Students Jolene Ilkey and Ashley Austin speak with MSA women.

Israel Information tent and Birthday Cake
Psych Quad 11-2

Come get information on Israel, travel to Israel and more

Plus yummy “birthday cake” for all!

Documents: U.K. tried to ship Holocaust survivors back to Germany
By The Associated Press

Newly released documents at Britain’s National Archives show how the government tried to send thousands of Palestine-bound Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide back to postwar Germany, where the final solution had been hatched, without inflaming world opinion.

Could it be done? The answer was no. The British decision to turn away the more than 4,500 Jews on board the Exodus refugee ship turned into a humanitarian and public relations debacle.

Hat tip to Prof. Blutinger
Read the rest of this entry »

UNSETTLED: Israelis & Gaza Disengagement
Multi Cultural Center F03-03
Mon, May 5th 12:00, 2:00 screenings, FREE
UNSETTLED a film by Adam Hootnick

“Before summer ends, three young Israelis will be forced from their homes, two soldiers will be sent to evict them, and one activist will fight to help her country avoid a war.”

UNSETTLED- The story of a generation on the front lines of a nation’s battle against itself.

“Remarkable for the balance of its compassion, and for the range of youthful
intelligence it reveals on both sides of a heartbreaking issue. An extraordinary film.”
- Kurt Loder, MTV

“I think this film is very important for people in the Muslim world to see,
because they will see Israeli people – Jewish people – as human.”
- Professor Akbar Ahmed, former Pakistani Ambassador to the UK

Don’t let the week go by without celebrating the 60th Birthday of the State of Israel.

CSULB ISRAEL WEEK
Israel Poster Exhibit
60 Posters for 60 Years
On CSULB Campus all week

Lunch Time Israel Film “Unsettled”
Monday, May 5, Noon, Multi-cultural Center, FO3-302
UNSETTLED is a story about religion and democracy, soldiers and civilians, and the kids on the front lines of a battle where there is no enemy.

Learn Hebrew in 45 Minutes
Tuesday, May 6, 4pm, USU suite 103
Join our Hebrew Class and learn this ancient language of the Bible.

Visit Israel Info Tent & Eat Cake!
Wednesday, May 7, 11—2pm, next to University Bookstore
Study abroad, free trips, volunteer programs – tons of info!

Community Celebration of Israel’s 60th B’day
Thursday, May 8, 5-8pm, Alpert JCC, 3801 E. Willow St. 90815
Join the LB community for music, food, fun

Dude, I love Israel! Shabbat Dinner
Friday, May 9, 6:30pm, Hosted by the Booksteins

CSULB Birthday Party & Concert
Tuesday, May 13, Noon, SW Terrace, University Student Union
Hip-hop rapper Kosha Dillz & DJ 360, food, henna, prizes

The Long Beach Jewish Community Federation and agencies invite all who wish to honor and remember to our communal gathering in commemoration of Yom Ha Shoah.

The Jewish Studies Program issued its statements about Dr. Kevin MacDonald a month ago. Since then, it has been joined by statements from the History Department, the Anthropology Department, and now the Psychology Department (where MacDonald teaches).

Here’s the new statement from Psychology Dept.

A majority of Psychology Department faculty members approved the following statement.

While the Department of Psychology highly values academic freedom, many faculty members are concerned that our Department and University are being seen as supporting the work of our colleague, Dr. Kevin McDonald. This work on ethnic/racial differences, more specifically the conclusions he has drawn on Jewish culture, has been embraced by certain extremist groups, and used by some as a rationale for their ideology.

Concerns about how Dr. MacDonald’s research is being used by extremist groups led to a forum in December 2007 during which Dr. MacDonald was invited to present his work. During this forum and subsequent on-line discussions, faculty raised a number of concerns. Faculty were particularly concerned that Dr. MacDonald’s research on Jewish culture does not adhere to the Department’s explicitly stated values on academic freedom, responsibility in research, and human diversity (see the Department’s position statements at http://karl.papubs.csulb.edu/cla/psychology). Faculty also raised concerns about potential violations of the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html) and a variety of conceptual and methodological issues. It was also noted that many of these writings have appeared in other media rather than in psychological journals that require peer review and rigorous scientific and psychological methodology.

As a result of these concerns, the department wishes to dissociate itself from the controversial writings of Dr. Kevin MacDonald. We respect and defend his right to express his views, but we affirm that they are his alone and are in no way endorsed by the Department of Psychology at California State University, Long Beach.
Statement approved by ballot 23 April 2008.

Click here for links to articles on MacDonald and our Hate Crimes forum: Read the rest of this entry »