Last week, I wrote a post about a debate underway within my Hillel chapter. The debate centered around whether or not we should take down an Israeli flag that hangs outside our space on campus. The person who sparked this debate argued that it did not represent Middlebury’s vibrant and diverse Jewish community and that it made certain groups and individuals on campus reluctant to come to our space to engage in dialogue about Israel. I did not agree with these arguments. Instead, I wrote that while the Jewish space should be inclusive of all views within the Jewish community on campus, it should also be a safe space to express support for the state of Israel. I also wrote that groups wanting to have meaningful discussions with Hillel need to respect our narrative as much as we respect theirs, and understand that us having certain opinions does not mean that we would not reconsider them nor appreciate other beliefs.
We had our board meeting this past Tuesday to discuss this issue. The debate, while certainly robust and respectful, was very lopsided: most wanted it to stay up. The debate began with the person who brought the issue to us reiterating her points. Those who supported the flag brought up a number of important points in response. Like me, they believe that it is important for Jewish students to have a safe place to support and celebrate the existence of the state of Israel and its vibrant culture. Most also iterated my point that those groups or individuals who want to have interfaith or inter–group discussion about Israel need to appreciate that we might have differing opinions from them, and that discussion is only meaningful and productive if we engage a multiplicity of opinions. Another of their main points, which I did not write about and which I’m not sure I agree with or not, is that Israel is a big part of the Jewish historical narrative, and that many Jewish students who come to Hillel do in fact identify closely with it, however romantically. Since they believe that the majority of Hillel participants on campus feel this way, they believe that taking down the flag could alienate them. Someone commented that this point directly conflicts with our mandate of supporting the campus’ vibrant Jewish community, even those who do not see Israel as a central aspect of their Jewish identity. Though Israel is central to my own Jewish beliefs, I’m still not sure if it is more important for the organization to reflect the majority or to be more inclusive. Some made clear that taking down the flag would comprise their future involvement in the organization. Is it worth alienating these very involved members for the sake of the minority, many of whom are certainly involved but less so than those who want the flag to stay up?
I believe in meaningful interfaith and international engagement. I believe that Jewish organizations should strive to better represent those to which they are accountable. But I believe that Hillel is ultimately a place for Jews to explore and celebrate their identity, and if the majority of Jews on campus identify closely with Israel, then its symbol should probably remain. We have not made a final decision; we were all emotionally drained. But I’m fairly certain the flag will stay.
