Monday, September 16, 2013

An update on SDSU and Ghassan Zakaria's elimination of Israel

Mike L.

The San Diego State University (SDSU) teacher that eliminated Israel from the map is Ghassan Zakaria.

I called his number today (619-594-8800), as listed at the university website, and found myself talking to some random professor who tells me that Zakaria has moved to another office and that he, himself, has nothing to do with this situation, which I do not doubt in the least.

Basically what he told me was that Zakaria is no longer at this number.

I therefore called the Department of Linguistics and Asian / Middle Eastern Languages (619-594-5268) and was told that the department is no longer taking inquiries on the matter and referred me to the office of the president of the university.

Algemeiner has a recent update with a few new tidbits.
Ghada Osman, chair of the SDSU Linguistics & Asian/Middle Eastern Languages department, eventually wrote to concerned community members that Zakaria would replace the map with one that identifies Israel.
How nice is that?

I think that we should all call department head, Osman, and thank her at (619-594-1910).

I tried to do so but was told by her department secretary that all inquiries were being handled by the office of the president of the university, Elliot Hirshman.

Naturally I called that number (619-594-5201) and could do nothing more than leave a message.

StandWithUs, however, is happy as they have now awarded scholarships for students to the university:
“We are especially appreciative and impressed by the university’s rapid response to concerns we expressed on behalf of students,” StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein said in a statement. “We only wish other universities were as responsive to student concerns.

StandWithUs also announced the formation of two new scholarship funds to expand its relationship with the university—the “Stand With Us-San Diego State Jewish Studies Scholarship” (supporting students enrolled in Jewish Studies courses) and the “Stand With Us-San Diego State Israel Study Abroad Scholarship.
The CEO of StandWithUs is Roz Rothstein.

I just got off the phone with StandWithUs, who tells me that for the first time ever a university - San Diego State University - is putting together a fund for StandWithUs and I think this is terrific.

SDSU is handling this thing in a manner that Jewish people who care about the well-being of Israel should be pleased with.

I hope sometime this week to speak with Nicole Bernstein to get her take, as she was the StandWithUs spokesperson who spoke with ABC News on the original story.

I have no particular desire to kick San Diego State University in the head and I honestly believe that they have handled this situation in a responsible and fair manner.

Good for president Hershman and department chair, Osman.

But the main kudos must go to Nicole Bernstein, of StandWithUs, for taking the lead and for standing up for the Jewish people.


14 comments:

  1. Well, there is no fun here so long as malicious and dishonest people, like Jon Segall, seek to malign and denigrate others.

    Segall suggests that Jews are a malign force, because those Jews who he does not like - such as you and me - are more or less equivalent to the Muslim Brotherhood.

    The man is vile and I will not have his voice here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think what really ticked me off was his attempt to create some moral equivalency between the Jewish victims of the Muslim majority and the Muslim majority, itself.

      He wants to say that someone like me or Doodad or School is on the same moral plain as Jihadis who call for the slaughter of the Jewish people.

      We can no longer afford this.

      As a people, we must stand up for ourselves and if we cannot do that then we will get precisely the beating that we have asked for.

      Delete
    2. I am not here to seek approval of anyone that appears unable to make important distinctions between acts of wrong and exposing those wrongs, or chills exposure through the use of labels and disparagement, or who is so moral and smart as to need no further information unless it is pre-approved, particularly when it may reveal the disconnects in ideas and actions.

      Don't think there was anything so objectionable or threatening as to deserve deletion. At least what I saw. I am therefore somewhat at a loss.

      Delete
    3. I want nothing further to do with you.

      I believe that you are both malicious and dishonest and I want you to stay away from this blog.

      You refuse to acknowledge that which is obvious, such as the fact that the progressive-left refuses to, in any significant way, speak out against political Islam - and that makes you a coward.

      Furthermore, you have maligned and demeaned and defamed your fellow Jews, such as Jay, for political purposes.

      You have greater hatred in your heart for Jewish people who think differently from you or who live in the traditional heartland of the Jewish people then you do for our enemies.

      I do not trust you, because I find you eel-like in your discourse, and I want you to simply go away.

      Do you understand?

      Go away.

      Delete
    4. Just as a reply Mike... You ask me not to blog here and you tell me to go away. I am fine with that, I didn't comment here at all until you started discussing PZ. I mean, you do realize who started this conversation, right? It wasn't me.

      So, hey, if you don't want to talk to me then pretty much don't write articles about or libel me. Pretty simple really.

      Bye now.

      Delete
    5. There now... do you feel better?

      Delete
    6. btw, I am still waiting for you to show us even two pieces out of the four hundred that criticized political Islam.

      My bet - and I am a poker player, after all - is that there is not a single piece among the over 400 pieces on The Progressive Zionist that is focused on the rise of political Islam.

      Can you point to even one?

      They call for the slaughter of the Jews and Barack Obama supports them and you support Obama.

      So, who is not terribly bright?

      Delete
  2. To these same fanatics, San Diego isn't in the US. San Diego is part of occupied La Raza, Aztlan, el Norte and such. I would take them at their word and start a campaign to expel all "Ameircans" from SDSU especially the Blacks, Muslims and Arabs who in no way are part of the indigenous population or culture. Of course all the Whites have to go too but at the least Zakaria is a foreign invader, interloper, occupier, colonialist. And since they are wont to deny the existence of antisemitism on the basis that 'we're all semites' then I would drive that point home with a call to throw out the semitic invader from La Raza. With violence, force, suicide bombings if need be.

    Their words, their logic, their narrative. So let's lynch them all from the nearest light pole. For freedom and tolerance. Viva el Norte Libre Viva la Revolucion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure if I want to let this story go or not.

      StandWithUs seems reasonably happy with how the university has handled the situation and, so far, I have considerable respect for StandWithUs.

      Ultimately, tho, this is a small story, but it is instructive on how anti-Semitism generally operates beneath the radar to infect the next generation.

      The guy is not as insidious as someone like Jon Segall who turns Jewish people against his own because some of us choose to live where neither Mahmoud Abbas nor Barack Obama want us to live.

      It's a toss-up to my mind.

      Zakaria will do some damage over the course of his career, but will it be worse damage than Segall might do?

      The reason that someone like Segall is worse is because As-A-Jew he promotes the "Palestinian Narrative" which (remarkably) the guy thinks should be taught to Israeli high school students.

      Can you imagine the sheer stupidity that it takes for a full-grown Jewish man to suggest that Jewish teenagers need to be taught the "Palestinian narrative" in their high schools?

      The stupidity is mind-boggling... as well as being fairly hilarious.

      Delete
    2. Man... I sure am one bad dude....

      Hey, who is worse in your mind? Me, who supports a Two State Solution as was negotiated by Ehud Olmert (Kadima) and now supports Livni (HaTanuah), Yachimovich (Avodah) and elements of Yesh Atid..

      OR

      David Harris Gershon who supports the Palestinian version of the One State solution?

      I mean after all, apparently I am worse than some professor that wiped Israel off his map, so I am just curious as to your opinion.

      Am I just the meanest, worstest person EVAH?

      Oh and your majesty (that would be the Empress here) - Do you even have any idea what I actually believe? If so, could you please spell it out so everyone can see what you just absolutely know to be true?

      Thanks in advance.

      Delete
    3. by the way, you know those marbles rolling around in your head?

      They roll in a consistent pattern.

      Although I often disagree with Trudy, just as I often disagreed with Ziontruth, what these people do is rattle those marbles a bit in order to help us think in ulterior ways.

      {Good luck with that.}

      Delete
  3. Ahhh ok.. thanks for clearing that one up for me.

    Now I haz a sad because when I read your stuff I somehow get the impression that you think I am a combination of Phil Weiss / Haman (you know who that is - right?). It's good to see that you don't think that, because you know Haman... Was a really bad dude.

    Actually I am a tad insulted, if you must know, I got the impression you thought that I was Teh worstest person EVAH!

    Anyway, so to the Million Dollar Question... Who is worse - Dumb ole' me.. OR the Evil DHG?

    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Keeping in mind that 'as-a-Jew' is nothing more than using ones self as a human shield against criticism. I am fine, really I am, with shooting through those kinds of 'human shields' any day. It doesn't bother me in the least if they are hated, humiliated, despised, insulted, tossed from their jobs, their homes, their reputations in tatters. And if their only response is to shake their fist at me and shout "Just you wait, now I'll join the Nazis!!"

    Please do. Or you already have. "As-a-Jew" please. Progressive Jew-Hater. What-ever.

    ReplyDelete