The transition from high school to college can be daunting; when you leave the secure bubble of your hometown to travel to a space where all religions, beliefs, movements, clubs and words are accepted, you sometimes don’t know how to respond to the change. Finding the right words and knowing the facts can be essential to finding your niche on campus. One of these aforementioned movements is called BDS—Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. This movement rejects and undermines Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state by misinforming the public and distorting the media. Co-Founder of the BDS movement, Omar Al-Barghouti, clearly states BDS’s ultimate view of a Jewish state: “I…
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On Students for Justice in Palestine
By Sharon Jackson It was the summer of 2014, and I was on Facebook. My news feed looked like a war zone, as I scrolled past image after bloody, depressing image, sickening me, saddening me. Why, during the war in Gaza, did I even bother going on Facebook? Force of habit, I guess. As I am friends with both Jews and Muslims, I could see what others could not see: both sides screaming out in pain, in anger, in helplessness – but neither of them could hear the other. I am in the middle. I always have been, and this is both a blessing and a curse. The curse is…
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Students cordial despite Gaza-Israel conflict
Protests across the world have targeted both sides of the Gaza-Israel conflict with flag burning and chants of destruction, but Queens College has been absent from this despite large Jewish and Muslim groups amongst the student population. The Gaza–Israel conflict is an ongoing dispute within the frame of the longterm Israeli–Palestinian conflict in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel grew intense late in October and Israel’s government has responded with military force. The death toll since the start of Israel’s offensive is up to 111, including 56 civilians, according to CBS News. Some 840 people have been wounded, including 225 children. Three Israeli civilians have been killed and dozens have been…