As my friend and I sat in a Kosher Cafe in the heart of Paris this past summer, we looked around the room and noticed the large amount of Parisian Jews. Although they live in a society that is highly…
Dialogue dies: USAC disappoints, rejects peaceful discussion of Israeli-Palestinian conflict
This past Tuesday, after more than seven hours of deliberation and debate, USAC voted down a resolution (5-7-0) brought forth by Internal Vice President Avi Oved and sponsored by General Representative Sunny Singh and Academic Affairs Commissioner Darren Ramalho. The…
Nobel Prize in Chemistry delivers painful reminder of Israel’s recent brain drain
On October 9, 2013, three men were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, two of whom were Israeli. In fact, Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt are the fifth and sixth Israelis to attain this honor within the past decade, an achievement of impossible statistical…
Israel’s new Finance Minister Yair Lapid: no qualifications, no experience
When searching for candidates to fill an available employment opportunity, a firm will invariably include, in bold print, a section entitled “Qualifications” within the job description. The purpose of this vital and ever-powerful section is, above all, a time-saving one…
The evolution of BDS: Israel was first, America is next
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions has evolved into something the whole family can get behind — that is, the whole family of those who oppose democracy, human rights and liberty in every form. The most recent BDS resolution to reach UCLA’s…
True colors: Nazi flag hoisted over Palestinian area
On the morning of Monday, May 20, the hundreds of residents of the Israeli town of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, woke up to see “an oversized Nazi flag flying next to a mosque in the neighboring Arab town of…
Toward a more humble Middle East policy: a post-uprising update from Dr. Robert Malley
May 20, 2013 — When told by the student introducing the event that he would be expected to offer his thoughts on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Dr. Robert Malley retorted that the events to which she referred were…
Arming Syrian rebels could threaten Israel’s security
As the death toll continues to climb in Syria’s bloody, two-year-old civil war, concerns over Israel’s security mount as well, over the various embargoes against supplying arms to the rebel forces. As the European Union and other countries are considering…
Israel’s dilemma: how to deal with illegal immigrants
On Sunday, it was reported that more than 300 of Israel’s Saharonim Detention Center detainees refused to return to their individual cells in protest, saying that they are being held illegally, against their will, and that they vehemently demand their…
Prospects for a post-Ahmadinejad Iran: new president, fewer distractions
The 11th Iranian presidential elections, scheduled for June 14, are fast approaching, and as election day draws near, many prospective presidential candidates (they must be approved by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before they can run) are publicly distancing themselves from…