Cal, SFSU campuses likely to boil over again

Renewed cries for Israeli divestment, frequent pro-Palestinian protests, the canonization of accused Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti.

Those are some of the conflicts pro-Israel students may be facing as early as next week when classes begin at both San Francisco State and U.C. Berkeley.

"It's kind of hard to predict where it's going to be, but I predict we'll be putting out fires on several Bay Area campuses," said Avner Even-Zohar, director of the S.F.-based Israel Center's campus division.

"There's no reason to predict next year will be any better than last year. We predict a very hostile and intense year on campuses. We're going to have clashes between Jewish students and anti-Israel students, and we're preparing accordingly."

Last year was a truly rancorous experience for Bay Area pro-Israel campus activists. Students at SFSU saw a poster depicting a dead infant on a SPAM-like can reading "Palestinian Children Meat: Slaughtered According to Jewish Rites Under American Licensing" plastered all over their campus. A May 7 pro-Israel rally morphed into an ugly fracas, making national news.

Meanwhile, at U.C. Berkeley, pro-Palestinian activists set up mock checkpoints, occupied campus buildings and held an anti-Israel rally on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Seth Brysk, executive director of San Francisco Hillel, said he and his staff are hoping for the best, but expecting the worst -- and gearing up for it.

Many of San Francisco's most ardent pro-Israel student activists traveled to advocacy seminars over the summer in New York, Washington, D.C., or Israel, while Hillel has augmented education, advocacy and guest lecturer programs, strengthening ties with other Jewish organizations.

In addition to helping fund the aforementioned advocacy trips, organizations such as the S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council, local federations and the Anti-Defamation League have assisted pro-Israel students by providing advocacy guidebooks, literature and guest lecturers.

As far as what "the worst" entails, Brysk is unsure. The atmosphere on campus will, he believes, reflect the atmosphere in the Mideast and world.

"It was horrible that it took an event like Sept. 11 to bring peace and quiet to the campus. People had to respect that event as something that brought a modicum of civility to campus. But that atmosphere was short-lived," he said.

"So you never know. Will the U.S. go to war with Iraq? Will the latest peace initiative with Gaza and Bethlehem produce some tenable results? Anything like that could have great importance."

Across the Bay, Adam Weisberg, Berkeley Hillel's executive director, is also bracing for a rough year. Unfortunately, he said, the need to focus on Israel advocacy has overshadowed every other element of campus Jewish life.

He plans to "show new Jewish students what an incredible, vibrant Jewish community we have here, committed to learning and understanding Israel but also committed to learning, understanding and celebrating the 101 other aspects of Jewish life.

"We're reminding people that Jewish life at U.C. Berkeley is not all about the situation in the Mideast. It's about finding what's meaningful in Judaism to you and celebrating it."

That being said, there will still be a heavy emphasis on Israel advocacy. And while student activists remain dedicated, the ongoing campus strife has taken its toll.

"The whole mini-Mideast [conflict] on campus last year took a lot of energy away from what's really important, which is school. I don't think anyone wants to be in a constant battle; I think we all want to go to school," said Mike Kopaigorodsky, an SFSU senior.

"At the same time, when you're on your way to class and you see a sign equating a Star of David and a swastika, you can't help getting involved if you feel strongly about the issue."

Meanwhile, Kopaigorodsky will be watching his back. He plans to carry pepper spray this semester, and he encourages all pro-Israel activists to take precautions.

"Put I this way: I'm not going to go through the front entrance [of Malcolm X Plaza}, I'm going to go through the side."

As classes prepare to begin at SFSU, the campus status of both Hillel and the General Union of Palestinian Students remains murky. Following the May 7 incident, Hillel received a letter of warning and GUPS was placed on probation.

Both organizations were instructed that representatives would have to meet with college officials and attend a September retreat before they would be allowed to hold rallies on Malcolm X Plaza. GUPS' probation also stemmed from running a Web page on university servers that contained anti-Semitic images and text, as well as links to a site denying the Holocaust. In response, GUPS filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education in June, claiming discrimination.

Whatever events Bay Area pro-Israel activists have planned, the Israel Center's Even-Zohar urges them not to wait for pro-Palestinians to make the first move.

"I strongly encourage them to be proactive," he said. "They don't have to wait for an anti-Semitic incident or for anti-Israel students to burn an Israeli flag."