Key Differences Mark Pro-Israel Groups

Support for Israel, long a topic of global political debates, has become a focal point of controversy within Columbia’s Pro-Israel community as well, with different groups of students organizing around varying views of how best to advocate for the country.

LionPAC, a student group under the umbrella of the Barnard-Columbia Hillel, presents itself as a nonpartisan Israel advocacy group, differing in definition with the Pro-Israel PROgressives, which defines itself specifically as liberal-minded. While both groups share a belief in Israel’s right to exist, the two have conflicted with each other in opinion and action.

“I think that where we ultimately differ is our definition in what is in the best interest of Israel and how Israel should be portrayed on campus,” Ari Zolin, CC ’10 and PRO’s president, said.

Michael Schwartz, GS and former PRO-PRO president, questioned LionPAC’s neutrality. “In truth, nonpartisan really means a little more conservative. They’re nonpartisan, but they support pretty much every policy in Israel and everything that goes through Congress that’s positive for Israel,” Schwartz said.

But LionPAC is able to criticize the Israeli government, while still supporting the country, Jacob Kriegel, CC ’08 and LionPAC president, said. “It’s the only country in the Middle East where you really can criticize the government and feel comfortable with it,” he said. “We don’t think it’s a perfect government, but we do think on this campus there is a very strong tendency to criticize almost blindingly in the other direction.”

Kriegel also criticized PRO-PRO for hosting a speaker last year who spoke critically of Israel. “The speaker brought a very negative stance, a decidedly liberal stance. That’s something we [LionPAC] didn’t feel like was pro-Israel. It was really attacking the [Israeli] government,” Kriegel said.

Zolin, on the other hand, emphasized the need to listen to other opinions. “I understand the drive to want to show solidarity. Just because you’re doing something that doesn’t make Israel look good, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t listen to you,” he said.

To David Fichman, GS, neither LionPAC nor Pro-Israel PROgressives satisfy the needs of the pro-Israel community on campus. Fichman and 10 others are in the process of forming another pro-Israel group, which has yet to determine its name. “We want to bring to the front what’s really happening—the history, what’s happening now, and what the real deal is,” Fichman said, expressing more support for LionPAC than for the progressive group.

Despite criticisms of each other, both groups expressed willingness to work with and listen to groups with whom they do not fundamentally agree, such as the Muslim Students Association and Turath, Kriegel and Zolin said. Zolin described the relationship between Pro-Israel PROgressives and the MSA as “neutral” and expressed an interest in improving the relationship. Kriegel described a good relationship that has been established between MSA and LionPAC, citing the open communication between himself and Adil Ahmed, CC ’09 and MSA president, during the Ahmadinejad event.

“We have a cordial relationship, but we’ve never had direct events with them, just because our programming and our missions are different. But at the same time, there is no tension,” Ahmed said.

Turath declined to comment on the record.

The relationship between LionPAC and the PRO-PRO is similiarly cordial, said Kriegel. “We’re friends with common goals. There are certain events [that PRO-PRO sponsors] that won’t line up as what we see as our beliefs, and likewise. It’s a good relationship,” he said.

Ivy Chen can be reached at ivy.chen@columbiaspectator.com.