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STEVEN CARRILLO/Arizona Daily Wildcat
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Judaic Studies senior Joel Simon plays the guitar at a rally outside Old Main yesterday that was meant to gather Israeli support. Rally organizers said they wanted to inform students of the situation in the Middle East, but some attendees said the rallyâs message was flawed.
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By Matthew Muhm
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday Apr. 26, 2002
In an effort to educate students on their perspective, supporters of Israel said ignorance is the countryâs greatest enemy at a rally outside Old Main yesterday.
The rally comes amid a major conflict in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians and less than a month after Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders gathered on campus calling for the region to take steps toward peace.
The Israel Action Committee of the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation and the University of Arizona College Republicans organized the event, billed as a Pro-Israel Solidarity Rally, which drew more than 100 people.
Jeremy Slavin, a political science junior and co-chair of the Israel action committee, said the goal of the rally was to inform students about the situation in the Middle East.
ãWe think Israel receives a bum rap in the press. People donât know the facts,ä he said.
He said he hoped the rally would spur active support for Israel, but not everyone in attendance agreed with the rallyâs message.
ãMost of it was bullshit, basically,ä said Faisal Al-Naibari, a pre-business sophomore.
Al-Naibari said the speakers implied that all Arabs hate Jews, and he said that is not in line with the teachings of the Quran.
Charles Givre, a computer science senior and co-chair of the Israel action committee, reiterated that the goal of the rally was to encourage students to get involved.
ãWe encourage people to act, to get involved in the peace process,ä Givre said.
Jon McCurley, a history freshman and a representative of the College Republicans, said his group got involved after the club sensed a rise in anti-Semitism.
McCurley compared hints of anti-Semitism today to those of anti-Semitism during the Hitler-era.
ãFifty-four years ago, anti-Semitism slowly creeped up, and we saw what happened,ä he said. ãWeâre trying to squash it before it gets any further.ä
