Israel Independence Week to begin

While fighting continues in Israel, Jewish student groups this
week will focus on celebrating the country’s 55th anniversary
and educating the campus about Middle East issues.

The first annual Israel Independence Week, running Monday
through Thursday, features events including a bazaar in Bruin
Plaza, a block party in Westwood and a memorial service for fallen
Israeli and American soldiers in Meyerhoff Park.

The keynote event, a panel discussion on conflicts in the Middle
East, brings together four speakers with different backgrounds and
connections to Israel and the Middle East.

The United 4 Freedom panel consists of a historian, the director
of a non-profit organization inspired by Israeli humanitarian
efforts, a former American diplomat who served in Israel and a
moderate Pakistani Muslim.

Each speaker said they will bring a different perspective to the
table.

Roberta Seid, a historian and journalist, said she will give a
brief history of Israel and its relations with its Arab
neighbors.

“I don’t think you can resolve the conflict without
a clearer a picture of the history,” Seid said.

Seid explained that the panel is “refreshing and
non-contentious” because they are focused on educating their
audiences.

“We try to give them the facts, try to get them to rethink
their biases,” she said. “There is so much
misinformation out there.”

Another panelist, Cookie Lommel, founded Operation Unity, a
humanitarian organization that sent inner city kids to Israel to
work at kibbutzim, or cooperative communities, in Israel. She said
she will talk about her personal experiences with Israeli
humanitarianism.

Lommel emphasized what she called the “lop-sided”
nature of news reports on Israel.

“Everyone is so struck by how different (Israel) is from
what they see on the nightly news,” she said.

Mark Paredes’ perspective comes from serving as a U.S.
diplomat in Israel. He said he will be speaking about his
experiences with the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the
myths surrounding problems in the Middle East.

He described that Palestinian government as a
“mob-ocracy.”

“The reason why a huge overhaul is needed (in Palestinian
leadership) is because they were not helping their people and they
were not helping achieve peace,” Paredes said.

Tashbih Sayyed, an expert on terrorism, said he will discuss the
importance of democratic institutions for ensuring social justice.
Sayyed, himself a Muslim, faults Muslim societies for lacking
freedom, which he said makes others view Islam as an “evil
faith.”

Sayyed’s unique perspective comes from having lived in
Pakistan and then fleeing to the United States, the country he
calls “the ultimate in social justice.”

Each panelist is skeptical of current attempts at resolving
conflicts in the region.

Paredes said the composition of the Bush administration’s
recently unveiled “road map” for establishing a
Palestinian state and maintaining peace in the area is not nearly
as important as the desire of the parties to work together.

Seid agreed, explaining that past peace plans are very similar
““ and unsuccessful.

“We need to be cautious about (the road map),” she
said.

The panel and all other events are being organized by Bruins for
Israel, the Jewish Student Union and UCLA Hillel.

Avishai Shraga, vice president of Bruins for Israel, said the
events have been widely publicized in the community and the
turn-out for all events is expected to be high.

Shraga emphasized that the purpose of the events is
commemoration and education.

“There are a lot of stereotypes about what goes on in the
Middle East,” Shraga said.

“The campus gets really heated at this time; we want to
dwell on the future as much as we can and not get bogged down in
fights and debates,” he said.

During the week, Shraga said the final push will be made for the
Invest in Israel Campaign, where students are raising money to buy
Israeli bonds that will be donated to UCLA. They hope to secure the
bonds for UCLA by eighth week.

Israeli Independence Day, which is on Wednesday, has been
celebrated on campus for years although this is the first time
events have been scheduled for the entire week.