There is more than one way to support the United States. Different parties all have the same goal: a strong U.S. However, they have different plans on how to reach it. This is also the case with Israel. As in the U.S., there are many different political parties in Israel, all with the goal of strengthening the country, but when one disagrees with another, that does not necessarily make either “anti-Israel.”

At CESJDS, I think the majority opinion is a one-track mindset on Israel. Up through tenth grade, almost all exposure to the conflict portrays Israelis as good and Palestinians as bad. So much of our education on Israel so far goes to glorifying the country, which often ignores the real issues. In my personal experience, students have attempted to avoid the debate surrounding Israeli settlements and the Palestinian territories. There are students who refuse to have conversations with me because of our disagreements on Israeli policy. Even within JDS’ own Israel Club, I’ve felt silenced.

Some students interested in gaining a better understanding of issues within Israel chose to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference, which took place March 26-28. AIPAC is a prominent, and generally right-leaning, pro-Israel lobby organization in Washington, D.C.

Youth groups, Jewish day schools and universities send hundreds of students to the AIPAC conference every year. Many of the politically engaged student bodies of these schools are pro-AIPAC, and as a result get accustomed to the one track mindset that AIPAC promotes. Many assume that there is one way to be pro-Israel and that to oppose this mentality, or AIPAC’s platform, is anti-Israel. I see this idea bubble up all the time in school. I have been called anti-Israeli, a self-hating Jew, uneducated and immature for my beliefs, but the irony is that so many of the people who call me these names, themselves have only pursued knowledge of one side.

I support Israel. I have the an Israeli flag hanging in my room. Yet, because I do not necessarily agree 100 percent with the majority opinion, I am labeled anti-Israel.
JDS prides itself on being a pluralistic community where multiple views are accepted, and where students have the ability to explore issues in depth and truly gain the best understanding. But we cannot do that if any opposition or criticism of Israel instantly leads to name-calling. The school administration does not help with this issue, as it repeatedly promotes AIPAC’s events through emails while not once promoting J Street, a progressive, left-leaning, pro-Israel organization, and their national conference.

We, as a student body need to recognize that it is okay to criticize Israel. I’m not going to say that one opinion is right, and one is wrong. We may have varying beliefs on various issues, but when push comes to shove, we are all pro-Israel and as such, we should treat each other respectfully when debating Israel’s policy.