Event focuses on US-Israel relationship
Student leaders from across campus gathered over dinner Thursday at USC Hillel to discuss the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship at the second annual Trojan Leadership Dinner.
The dinner, organized by Trojans for Israel, served as a networking opportunity for student leaders and faculty who want to leave a positive impact on the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
The evening began with an introduction by Trojans For Israel President Sarah Sax, who emphasized the strong parallels between the United States and Israel.
“Israel is a lot like America,” Sax said. “[It’s] a democracy, a leading country in innovation and a place that emphasizes equality among all.”
The similarities between the two allied nations were emphasized throughout the evening. During dinner, organizers showed a video highlighting the strength of the U.S.-Israel alliance since the nation’s inception in 1948.
David Suissa, president of the Jewish Journal, a newspaper in Los Angeles, served as the event’s guest speaker. Suissa, who is also an award-winning columnist and advocate for the Jewish Journal, began the discussion by characterizing Israel as a “messy progress.”
Suissa discussed his complicated relationship with Israel, likening it to a relationship one would share with a brother or a father. Ultimately, however, he described it as a relationship of tremendous loyalty.
“There is nothing normal about Israel,” Suissa said. “It’s not a normal country. And the more you peel back the layers, the more you realize that it’s not a normal country — not at all. And that’s a compliment, by the way. So this is my conflicted relationship with Israel. But ultimately it is a relationship that is nourished by love.”
Among the many students in attendance were Undergraduate Student Government President Mikey Geragos, USG Vice President Vinnie Prasad, USC College Republicans President Maddy Lansky and USC College Democrats President Aaron Taxy.
Looking forward, Suissa said he believes the best thing that could happen in the Middle East is if countries took advantage of some of the lessons that Israel has learned the hard way.
“I have dreams that this mess in progress can become a model for the Middle East,” Suissa said. “Because there is so much goodness in this mess — the corrective mechanism that is now going on in Israel — I would love to see that corrective mechanism in Egypt and in Libya and Syria and even in Saudi Arabia.”
Though Israel is not perfect, Suissa said it has the potential to be a role model for all Arab countries in the Middle East.
“Despite all the mistakes that Israel makes — despite the occupation, despite the fact that it hasn’t been able to achieve peace with its neighbors, despite all the things that you hear about Israel — it’s still an incredible, wonderful messy progress,” Suissa said.
Asher Levy, a freshman majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said he found the event inspiring and a reminder of the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship to the local community.
“It was really heartening to see all of these people from the USC community and the broader pro-Israel community at large come together and show support for the U.S.-Israel relationship,” said Levy. “It really shows the understanding of the fact that this is not simply a niche issue for the Jewish community and for the Israeli community, but rather this is a broader issue for all of those people who are interested in preserving ideals of democracy and freedom and of the American way.”
The remainder of the evening was devoted to questions and answers between Suissa and the audience. Students in the audience posed questions regarding everything from Israel’s perception in the media to the role the upcoming presidential election will play in the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Suissa’s statements point out everything that’s wrong with the Israeli rhetoric about the Middle East. He urges countries in the Middle East, like Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, to take advantage of some of the lessons that Israel has learned the hard way” and use it as a model while ignoring the Palestinian occupation and the tension that still exists in the region. It’s extremely condescending and completely white-washes Israel’s history in the region and current events. Israel continues to forcefully and illegally occupy many regions which belong to the future Palestinian state, infringing on the human rights of the residents, while receiving massive amounts of aid from the United States and its “allies.” Many countries in the Middle East are still in the process of re-building their government following the revolution, and suffered decades of underdevelopment as a result of colonialism and contemporary neocolonialism. To say Israel is a model for the Middle East is not only purposefully demeaning but also ignores the massive amount of help Israel has been granted, the tense conditions of Arab-Israeli relations, and the very real issues which the Arab countries are currently facing internally.
When I see a piece on the US-Israel relationship that has no mention whatsoever of Palestinians or Palestine (except as the faceless entity embodied by the acknowledgement of “occupation”) , I can’t help but think of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” I would consider it progress (“messy” or otherwise) to discuss the elephant in the room.
Israel “Emphasizes Equality Among All”?
This is a baldfaced disgustining Lie. Ask the Arabs who “Live” in Israel if they are treated equally. Grow up and get off the koolaid Ms. Sax–nobody is buying this garbage. You should be ashamed of the way Israel treats her Arabs, instead you cover it up. This constant and state-sponsored denial is what perpetuates the conflict between Israel and its neighbors. You cannot fix the problem if you deny it exists. Disgraceful to turn your back on the truth like this.