By COLlive reporter
Jewish, Christian Arabs and Muslim Arabs who proudly served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were told that their scheduled talk at the Stanford University in California was not welcomed.
The “Reservists on Duty” were meant to be the guests of the Stanford Israel Association (SIA), but the student group then pulled its support for a program highlighting the stories of Israel’s minority populations, according to JNS.org.
The event, “Stories From Israeli Minorities,” was scheduled to take place less than 24 hours later at Hillel at Stanford University. They too ended up canceling the “due to concerns raised by the University.”
“As a Jew, I don’t know what to say to the delegation,” said Amit Deri, founder of the Reservists on Duty organization.
“They are a group of minorities, one Druze, one Bedouin, one Muslim and one Arab, who suffered a lot of criticism from the Arab community in Israel. They’ve flown all the way from Israel to San Francisco for an event that was confirmed a month ago. And now, a few hours before it was to begin, they cancel it. I don’t know what to say to my people. I felt ashamed.”
Instead, Stanford Chabad led by Shluchim Rabbi Dov and Rachel Greenberg stepped in to host the soldiers on Monday night, and the event went on as planned.
Deri said the delegation was comforted that Chabad agreed to host the program, JNS news agency reported.
Attendees heard the personal stories of the non-Jewish reservists, who spoke about being minorities in Israel, their love for the Jewish state and their desire to defend the country.
From opening up your home to host an unexpected event, providing comfort and refreshments to the Stanford students, and sending an impactful pro-Israeli message, we should all strive to emulate your moving work.
The Greenberg’s are chassidic rockstars – doing amazing work and shining a light where it is so badly needed !
of failure in menschlikeit of the other Jewish organizations!
Thanks
Thank you for making such a Kiddush Hashem
It’s nice to see, real courageous global work in action.
(not to take away from extinguishing wildfires or handing out watermelon)
Stanford Chabad thanks for having the courage to stand with the land we love -Israel
Jennifer
great job
thank you for stepping up to the plate Chabad of Stanford. הצלחה רבה, משיח כאו!!
Great Kiddush Hashem
Why is the state of Israel so vilified on college campuses?
Israel is getting demonized on college campuses these days. thank you for standing up for our people and our land
My son is now serving in the IDF Nachal Chareidi and has only the nicest things to say about the gentile soldiers of these backgrounds who are serving alongside him. Thank you, Greenbergs, for hosting this program.
Thanks for standing with Israel