I've spent nearly six semesters as an involved member of the Brandeis community and have grown tremendously frustrated-but not with the current student population, which truly boasts some fantastic minds and personalities. Rather, I am frustrated with the greater American Jewish community and deeply troubled by the way it perceives Brandeis' student body.I have been nothing short of shocked by what I read about Brandeis from outside media outlets. Events as recent as the publication of Peter Beinart's innovative observations on the next generation of Jewish young adults and the visit of six members of the Israeli Parliament indicate a misunderstanding of the scope of opinions and affiliations in this community.

I became very confused about the perception of Brandeis students after this past summer's flotilla incident slashed global esteem for Israel. Beinart's contribution only complicated things; his article in the New York Review of Books faulted the American Jewish establishment with a failure to respect the next generation's interest in a liberal Zionism. Beinart's ideas went so far as to make it into New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's article scrutinizing Israel's actions and politics. Fascinatingly, Kristof chose to quote this passage from Beinart's article to make the point that Israel antagonizes its American supporters: "Mr. Beinart noted that even the student Senate at Brandeis University, which has strong Jewish ties, rejected a resolution commemorating the 60th anniversary of Israel."

The problem I see here is the existence of certain expectations of our student government. Brandeis senators, just like the United States senators, represent a body of constituents. They vote for what's best for this campus. It seems to me like Kristof and Beinart-and perhaps the larger community as well-expect us to prioritize Israel as a key student issue. In fact, Israel falls outside the scope of many students' interests, and a congratulatory message toward Israel does not resonate with many of our peers.

The "heckling" of the six Israeli Knesset Members who visited our campus last week provides yet another example of the bewildering picture the American Jewish community has of Brandeis. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency picked up on the story instantly, and the news spread virally throughout the American Jewish community. Israeli newspaper Haaretz headlined its coverage, "Jewish leftists disrupt Kadima MK speech at U.S. university."

Before long, my University had become the center of attention-all of which was focused on this small group of students whose passion compelled them to demonstrate some poor behavior. All of a sudden, Brandeis fell into the spotlight as a haven for a new breed of Jewish leftists. It was as if nobody cared about anything but this tiny group of radical students-as if they defined Brandeis. As if they defined our institution's ties to Judaism and Israel alike. Well, guess what-they don't.

As news of the MK incident continues to circulate, I cannot help but express my frustration at the greater Jewish community. Nobody, especially not I, suggests that we should detach ourselves from our Jewish legacy. We should take pride in it and indeed try to live up to its ideals. But today, it is impossible to institutionalize any form of Zionism, Jewish observance or view on Israeli policy. The American Jewish community should not expect Brandeis students to abide by any doctrine relating to these issues. Brandeis is a liberal arts university with many distinct qualities and a diverse student population. It is unfair to expect these students to uphold certain views of Israel.

It is even more unfair to focus only on the more radical students who present a novel, outlandish means of connecting with Judaism. These students do not represent the larger sentiment toward Israel on this campus, and I would urge anyone interested in claiming that they represent the larger sentiment of our generation to do some careful research beforehand. On this campus, discussions of Israel, Palestine and Judaism are rich, productive and progressive. They reflect the opinions and perspectives of a select group of students who have chosen to reflect deeply on the issues in the context of their own personal backgrounds and values.

And that is the real truth of Brandeis. Nobody can shape the political discourse at Brandeis except us. As Beinart himself said here this past Sunday night, this sharp, educated student body will likely produce the future leaders of the American Jewish community that so readily offers us its criticism.