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Israeli-Palestinian problem presented
from a unique Jewish perspective
Andrew Hapke ‘05
 Dr.
Marc Ellis, director of the Center for American and Jewish studies at
Baylor University, gave a powerful, and to some, upsetting lecture on
Feb. 4 in the Saint Augustine Center’s DeLeon Room. He spoke out
against the Jews in power in our country and the Jews in power in Israel.
His ideas were not necessarily new, they were simply more forceful and
believable because of his education and Jewish background. His message
was one of peace, and remembrance of Jewish heritage. The conflict in
the Middle East, now on the back burner while the United States searches
for a reason to fight Iraq, has been one of bloody consequences and few
answers, and it is scholars like Ellis whose educated analyses bring a
degree of sense to the region’s injustices.
Dr. Ellis is the author of 15 books including
the 2002 release: Israel and Palestine: Out of the Ashes; The Search for
Jewish Identity in the 21st Century. His ideas have brought him criticism
as well as praise because of their shocking nature. The strongest and
most direct point of his lecture at Villanova came as he stated, “What
we as Jews have done to the Palestinians is wrong; what we are doing to
Palestinians today is wrong.” His forceful demeanor gave away his
strong feelings on the subject of Jewish responsibility and duty.
As a professor, his studies on Judaism
and Jewish history have led him to establish many truths about his culture
and its relationship to the world. He pointed to Jewish history, a past
of terrible oppression and racism. Through the past decades, however,
Jews in the United States and Israel have become part of a different world,
a world which accepts, regards and acknowledges their past. Ellis shared
that this acceptance has translated into political power. There is a Jewish
presidential candidate; the White House spokesperson is Jewish. Jews in
the United States have positioned themselves in places of power and respect.
Their historical sufferings have made them untouchable though, and the
conflict with the Palestinians is being overlooked at the expense of everyone
involved. “Everybody who criticizes Israeli policies are liars and
they are anti Semites, and [directed at a particularly hostile Jewish
man] they are self-hating Jews”. The fear of questioning the Israeli
state has lead to what Ellis believes in a disgrace of the Jewish culture.
He fears that the Jews of today are betraying their history. For the first
time in history the Jews have become the oppressors rather than the oppressed.
Ellis presented his ideas strongly and
clearly and as a result offended at least one audience member. The uproar
that took place was exactly the kind of incident which proved his arguments
that questioning the Israeli intentions has been met with harsh backlash
from a strong Jewish majority in this country.
Although he did not offer any particular,
daring or new suggestions regarding the resolution of the current conflict,
his insight on the mindset of the groups involved was fascinating. His
presentation was controversial, interesting and provided a thought provoking
night for all attendees.
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