Leigh Jacobson

Staff Writer

On Monday, March 7^th, the vice president of Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs Mr. Moti Gur presented to the students of Hebrew Honors 8.

Gur discussed the budding anti-Semitism across American university campuses, in addition to the wave of anti-Israel sentiments in the media. He told students that in order to combat such antagonism, Jewish students must be educated in Jewish and Israeli history. As such, he provided a general presentation of the history of the Jewish people, from Isaac to David to the Roman takeover of Jerusalem. In addition, he discussed the rise of Islam and it’s similarities and differences to the Jewish faith.

He then spoke about StandWithUs’s efforts to advocate for Israel, passing out informational pamphlets of Israel facts and sharing the history of the foundation. According to Gur, StandWithUs was founded ten years ago as a response to anti-Israel protests and sentiments. Today, its mission statement aims to “[bring] peace to the Middle East by educating about Israel and challenging the misinformation that often surrounds the Middle East conflict. Through brochures, speakers, programs, conferences, missions to Israel, campaigns and Internet resources, [StandWithUs] strives to ensure that Israel’s side of the story is told on university campuses and in communities, the media, libraries, and churches around the world.” (http://www.standwithus.com/).

Gur is one of numerous speakers that have visited the advanced Hebrew class to bring insight into Israeli culture and history.