As Israel faces challenging times, marked by ongoing conflicts, shifting global opinions, and the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, it is essential to hear the voices of those who staunchly support the nation. We’ve engaged with passionate pro-Israel supporters to gain insight into their perspectives on a wide range of topics surrounding the conflict and the broader issues it raises.
These voices offer valuable insights into the multifaceted challenges faced by Israel and provide a platform to express their ideas on how to address these issues. In this piece, we interview Shai Davidai, Assistant Professor of Management at Columbia Business School.
What are your thoughts on the press coverage and propaganda being circulated by the far left and pro-Palestinian groups during the ongoing conflict?
I am not an expert in media coverage or in propaganda, but I can tell you this. People right now seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to the situation, and they are trying to simplify things to an oppressor and an oppressed. While I completely understand their need to take a complication situation and put it into simple terms, what this ends up achieving is that they are automatically taking the side of an internationally recognized terror organization and celebrate the rape, kidnapping of civilians, and execution of babies and toddlers in their crib. It is beyond me how organizations that would never even dream of justifying rape can, all of a sudden, not only take the side of the rapists but also justify and celebrate it.
How do you think leaders of Ivy League schools should respond or contribute to supporting Israel and promoting peace in the region?
This is not about supporting Israel. This is about opposing terrorism. It’s as simple as that. To me, the question of what universities should do is straightforward: they should respond in the same way that they would have responded to any other terror attack in the world, regardless of the victim. It doesn’t matter if it’s Al-Qaeda, ISIS, the KKK, Hamas, Hizballah, or any other terror organization. Just because the victims are Jewish doesn’t make it ”more complicated” as some universities are trying to claim. Terror is terror is terror.
Building a stronger and more self-sufficient Israel is a shared goal. What strategies or policies do you believe can help Israel become a powerful and influential nation like the United States?
Again, I am not a policymaker and it would be inauthentic of me to pretend that I am. But I must make one thing clear: the shared goal is to build a stronger and more self-sufficient Israel AND a stronger and more self-sufficient Palestine. Those are not mutually exclusive goals. The world needs to unite against Hamas – an internationally recognized terror organization that is backed by Iran – and to free the Middle East from its grip. Only then will we be able to create a peaceful and prosperous future for both Israeli AND Palestinian children.
It’s an emotionally challenging time. How are you personally managing your mental health and coping with the stress brought on by the current situation in Israel?
The truth is that I am not. In addition to grieving for the loss of more than a 1000 civilians and the anxiety I’m experiencing for more than 200 Israeli civilians who are currently being held at gunpoint in Gaza (including tiny babies who have been forcefully separated from their parents by violent terrorists), I have also been experiencing the rise of antisemitism and blatant pro-terror support at my university – my own place of employment. This is not something that I know how to cope with, and I don’t think it’s something that anyone has a clear solution to. The sheer brutality of it is unfathomable, and the fact that so many people here in the U.S. are celebrating such brutality is beyond me.
To prevent future conflicts, what measures should Israel implement to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again?
I think the answer is clear. Once Hamas – an internationally recognized terror organization – is eradicated, the world must work together to establish a secular and prosperous Palestinian state that will peacefully exist side-by-side with Israel. Once the fighting is over, we the people must push our leaders to find a solution so that this will never occur again. And remember: terrorism is not Israel’s problem, it’s the world’s problem. There are still 12 U.S. citizens held hostage in Gaza as we speak. There are french citizens and russian citizens and thai citizens and german citizens. Terrorists do not distinguish between their victims.
How can the Jewish diaspora and Jewish communities around the world contribute to supporting Israel and promoting a peaceful resolution to the conflict?
Again, I would like to stress that this isn’t about supporting Israel. It’s about battling hate. It’s about eradicating terror, regardless of its victims. It’s about putting an end to antisemitism and making it clear to the world that Jewish lives are equal to every other life. For this, Jewish people around that world should unite to make clear that we will not stand for this. We will not stand for universities that allow pro-terror organizations to celebrate the raping, kidnapping, and murdering of teenage Jewish girls. We will not stand for law enforcements that fail to protect Jewish lives. Regardless of who we are – Haredi, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Secular, or Atheist – Jews must stand together and say: Never Again.
