Some Jews Denounce ‘Pro-Arab’ Slant : Conference on Peace in Middle East Raises a Furor

A MiraCosta College seminar on the volatile issue of “Peace With Justice in the Middle East” has caused an emotional schism in the San Diego Jewish County community.

One side has denounced the Oct. 20 conference as so blatantly pro-Arab that it threatens the security of Israel. Supporters, however, say that the seminar seeks only to examine Middle East turmoil through a variety of viewpoints.

Amid the furor, questions have been raised about academic freedom and free speech.

“What a phony (conference) that one is. It’s an out-and-out whitewash of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization),” said Herb Brin, publisher of The Heritage, a weekly Jewish community newspaper based in Los Angeles, and author of a front-page article that a week ago blasted the seminar for being “stacked” against Israel.

That’s not true, according to Judith Weinberg, the conference’s coordinator who described herself as both a Jew and a Quaker. “There are some people who think we didn’t include the ‘Jewish point of view.’ Well, I got news for you, there is no single Jewish point of view,” Weinberg said. “Our intention is to open dialogue . . . I’m highly insulted that I’m criticized for putting on a program that is pro-Arab. Frankly, this is all very un-Jewish.”

The seminar is set for the Del Mar Shores Auditorium and is sponsored by the college’s community services department and the La Jolla Friends Meeting, a Quaker organization. The conference registration form describes it this way:

“This one-day conference addresses peace and justice in the Middle East as one of the most crucial challenges of our times by examining the historical roots of the conflict, the contemporary social and political issues, and the prospects for a just, peaceful solution.”

The lineup of 12 speakers includes both Jews and Arabs. Representing Arab points of view are, among others, Alex O-deh, regional director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee; Sabri El Farra, described as a Palestinian activist from Los Angeles, and Fozi Khouri, coordinator of the Palestinian Arab Fund.

Among those representing the Jewish perspective are Sanford Lakoff, a political science professor at UC San Diego; Yehuda Lev, a writer and faculty member of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, and Lynn Kerman, chairwoman of the New Jewish Agenda.

Soon after the conference was announced, people such as Morris Casuto, San Diego regional director of the Anti-Defamantion League of B’nai B’rith, attacked it for being distorted. The main contention was that it failed to involve “mainstream” Jewish community participation, as embodied by the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Also raising the ire of the league and other Jewish groups was that Quakers, through their American Friends Service Committee, were playing a key role in the seminar. In the opinion of Casuto and Brin, the Quakers are defenders of the PLO and anti-Israel.

“Our position is that this program is extremely unbalanced because it leaves off a very large segment of the Jewish community,” said Casuto, who has discouraged Jews from attending. “With the exception of Professor Lakoff, it is so loaded with those who are against Israel that it’s detrimental to the security of Israel.”

Criticism of the program, however, hasn’t stopped there. The United Jewish Federation wrote a letter to MiraCosta College President Deon Holt, expressing its concern that the seminar was out of balance.

Holt responded with a letter defending the conference, saying: “It appears to me that the (sponsors) have made a reasonable effort to provide a balanced program with varying points of view.”

In a telephone interview, Holt said that, while he understands why some people are upset over the program, that is not enough reason to cancel it. “I think a college is a place where differing points of view are desirous,” he said. “That’s what a university and college are all about. To exclude points of view because people don’t like them is contrary to our mission.”

Weinberg, the conference coordinator, said she worked hard to bring together a balance of opinions. “It was done professionally, but it’s not perfect,” she said, noting that she has ties to Israel: She has contributed money extensively and her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter live on a kibbutz.

“Part of the problem is that the people we have who support Israel don’t necessarily agree with the government line on everything,” Weinberg said. “Those who don’t want this seminar to happen are saying the Quakers aren’t good enough, the Jews aren’t good enough and, of course, the Arabs aren’t good enough.”

Allan Solomonow, a forum panel member who is on the Middle East staff of the American Friends Service Committee, says he and other Quakers have become accustomed to “regular criticism by segments of the Israeli and Arab community most hostile to dialogue in the peace settlement.”

“It’s the moderates,” Solomonow said from San Francisco, “who come under the most fire . . . because they’ve already taken a position. All I’ve seen is people attacking other people because of their affiliations.”

Not all active members of the local Jewish community, however, have taken a stand. Rabbi Ron Herstik of San Diego Congregation Dor Hadash said he is undecided about the conference, though he tends to think there is some justification for the criticism.

Nonetheless, Herstik is not advocating a boycott. Instead, he is advising members of his congregation to attend the conference.

“I’m going to encourage people to go there. There will be an opportunity for the audience to respond and ask questions of the participants,” he said. “My position is that we in the Jewish community have to involve ourselves in the larger community, especially on issues about the Middle East.”