Dialogue: it’s a two-way street, and it’s what our university is based on. When was the last time you walked through campus without seeing people casually on their phones, on Facebook, or talking to friends? Conversations and their questions are an integral part of our intellectual pursuits.
But every year, for at least one week, no one wants to talk. There might be some good reasons to avoid dialogue; when it comes to Israel, who wants to talk about the Middle East’s oldest democracy when the atmosphere on campus seems to provide anything but a welcoming and friendly environment for honest discourse?
JENNY KIM/THE VARSITY
This page could easily be filled with facts about Israel being a humanitarian leader — taking in refugees and being at the forefront of disaster response around the world, from the earthquake in Haiti to the tsunami in Japan. Keeping closer to the topic of democracy and open discourse, this article could focus on Israel being a democracy that provides all its citizens with the right to vote and be elected. Arab members serve in the Knesset and Arab judges serve on the Supreme Court. Further, Israel is interested in peace, even when lacking a genuine partner to have honest discourse with. And until peace can be obtained, it is working hard to minimize the risk of harming innocent civilians.
The point of this article is not for me to continue with a list of facts but rather to trigger conversation. Maybe the facts were new to you and hopefully have raised questions. So why aren’t you asking them?
For many, the answer is simple. A small fringe group has made the campus environment hostile and toxic. They’ve done so by claiming an entitlement to say whatever they want. This is not open discourse: these people are refusing to listen to others and are trying to enforce an environment where anyone that questions their statements with justified reasoning must be wrong. On the contrary, at an academic institution, we should value the principle that if you make a reasonable argument you will, at least, be heard.
With attempts by some to polarize any discussion about Israel, who would jump into the conversation? There are many of us looking for an open, friendly, and honest space to ask questions and grow as individuals in academia and in the world. Fortunately, groups of students are continuously working towards providing this space through various campaigns.
This year, Hot Chocolate, Hot Topic is one such campaign from Hillel’s Israel Committee with sponsorship from Hart House Good Ideas Fund, Truth in Context, and Israel on Campus Coalition with support from the Avi Chai Foundation. HCHT hopes to open up the discussion to all topics and any question that students have — from finding Israel on a map to the country’s worldly contributions and politics. Find us weekly at Sidney Smith, and visit Hillel U of T on Facebook or Twitter.
A final thought — this set of editorials is a great stepping stone to considering what many have been looking for this year: school spirit. It will come, in part, when we all feel comfortable enough to enter into dialogue in our everyday lives and in our academic pursuits. Any hostile group that uses the cover of free speech to threaten a student’s identity, culture, homeland (yes, many this week will not even recognize Israel’s right to exist) threatens any progress towards a more welcoming, friendly campus atmosphere. If the university experience is about questions, we need to be able to ask all of them, including those about Israel. On campus, let’s bring the topic of Israel back to open, honest conversation.
