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(05/07/02 4:00am)
The Justice is sad to say goodbye to its five graduating associate editors. We'll miss their guidance and friendship, and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.David Dagan e-mailed the Justice the summer before his freshmen year and joined the paper the first day of school. David was Features editor for a year until last fall. He was always very fair and thorough and made the Features section an avenue for education. David always knew how to find the "issues" in meetings, and we never let him forget it. As our own German"Harry Potter," we are happy that he will be around next year as a graduate student. Brooke Ismach is our "photographer to the stars." She was Photography editor for one year, until last fall, and helped make the Arts section glow with her artistic endeavors. She has always been there for the last minute photo assignments -- no matter what time of early morning we needed her. We appreciated her anatomically correct illustrations during board meetings, which were always very illuminating. Brooke, aren't you glad the "O" was missing? Jennifer Klein became advertising editor three years ago. Since, she has served three interim positions: Forum editor, managing editor and advertising editor, again! Jenn has always an enthusiastic member of the Justice. She remembers stories from "way back when" that all of us have ingrained into our consciousness. Jenn will be moving to the Big Apple, but we hope she won't forget our community.Yanna Krupnikov was News editor for nearly a year and a half. Yanna was amazing at juggling academics, the Justice and other activities. She was awarded Phi Beta Kappa this year, and we don't know how she managed to balance the commitment of being news editor with her rigorous academic life. Also, Mod parties were more fun (and dangerous) with her there. We don't know what we're going to do without her, but we wish her best of luck at graduate school at the University of Toronto next year. Yanna is gladder about the "O."Beth Seltzer was Sports editor for one year until December. She's from Wisconsin. We have enjoyed the Ittai visits, and we know she has too. Her smile always cheered up the editors, and we will miss her energy. Beth will be attending Syracuse Law School this fall, and we know she'll defend us well in three years. The Justice has also benefited from the vigor of former Editor in Chief Peter Basso, past Forum editor Merav Bushlin, former Photography editor Robyn Chiarelli, former News editor Dana Kaplan and past Advertising Editor Hil Szanto. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to this newspaper.
(04/30/02 4:00am)
Guy Grossman, a member of the Israeli refusal movement spoke at Brandeis on Tuesday night. Grossman, whose arrival in Boston garnered coverage by the Boston Globe, spoke in the filled lower lobby of the Usdan Student Center: Once every seat had been filled, students, faculty, staff and visitors overflowed unto the lobby, sitting on the steps and standing up around the corners.The refusal movement, known in America as the Courage to Refuse movement, originates from a letter -- a sort of call to action -- by Israeli soldiers who refuse to return to the occupied territories."We hereby declare that we shall continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel's defense," reads the letter signed by 443 soldiers. "The missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this purpose -- and we shall take no part in them."Associate Director of Hillel, Ora Gladstone, introduced Grossman, commenting on the large turnout for the event."When we booked this event, we did not realize that the Globe would come out with an article listing Brandeis as an only venue," she said explaining the choice fo venue for the event.Grossman, a soft-spoken man, began by telling his personal story to the audience, tracing his childhood and his time in the Israeli army -- a group her perceived as an inherently moral institution."The soldiers are moral, the occupation is not," he said.Grossman said that for him as an individual the decision to refuse was guided by his service and experience in the occupied territories."The worst part is," he said of the violence he saw in the territories, "I realized that everything was legal. Something must be wrong if everything is legal.""Then, I understood there is no benign occupation," he added. "My presence there perpetuates the problem ... I won't go there again."In addition to using the forum to tell his personal story of refusal, Grossman also discussed Israel's position in the territories."There is a myth in Israel that we have to be in the occupied territories," he said.He went on to discuss the fear in Israel, describing the violence in the country as a vicious cycle."We've gotten to the situation where Palestinians won't stop the terror attacks until we withdraw," he said. "And we won't withdraw until the terror stops."Essentially, Grossman said, it was these issues of rights and violence, as well as personal experiences on the part of the soldiers which served as a catalyst for the letter stating refusal."The letter reminds people in Israel that the continuation of occupation is not an option," he said. "The continuation of the immoral and unjust occupation is not an option.""We are reminding them of the faces that we kill," he added. "We are telling them of the everyday life of the occupation and its cruelty."In addition, the letter provided a support network for soldiers, like Grossman, who chose to refuse."On a very personal level, the letter helped people who might have wanted to refuse, thought to refuse, take the step," he said.Concluding, Grossman urged the audience to act."If you care about Israel, this is the time to raise your voice," he said.Still, as the question and answer session which followed Grossman's speech showed, the audience was not filled with supporters.Students wearing buttons and stickers in opposition, challenged Grossman and his message.According to Scott Selinger '02, who along with a number of other students disagreed with Grossman, the group was made up of independent students who chose to listen and ask questions rather than stage a protest to express disagreement.Selinger added that while many of the visitors from outside the Brandeis campus came to support Grossman, Brandeis students wanted to show their disagreement with the speaker."As opposed to a protest, we went, we listened to what he said," Selinger said. "But, we wanted to show that we disagree ... that there is another side to the story.""He didn't have a plan for anything," he added, speaking of Grossman. "He is in favor of a movement but he can't provide a concrete plan."The organizers of the event and members of the Courage to Refuse movement in America -- who passed around baskets for donations -- said they brought Grossman to Brandeis as an outreach effort."I think its important to reach out to young people," Hilda Silverman, one of the event's off-campus organizers said. "If you want to reach out to Jews and reach out to young people, Brandeis is the ideal place."Silverman said she was happy to hear dissenting voices at the event."I was glad that people came who didn't agree," she said.Grossman is part of a nation-wide campaign to raise awareness of the refusal movement. In addition to Brandeis, he has already spoken at Tufts University and Harvard University, as well as two Boston-area synagogues. Other "refuseniks" will be speaking in other parts of the nation.
(04/30/02 4:00am)
A motion to raise the grade point average requirement for Dean's List honors was tabled during an Undergraduate Curriculum Committee meeting on Thursday. The proposed changes would have increased minimum GPA from 3.5 to 3.67, or up to an A- average, for a given semester, for students in the incoming class of 2006 and beyond. Jessie Ann Owens, dean of Arts and Sciences, was the first to raise the issue, citing a dramatic increase in Dean's List candidates. "I was concerned that the number of students on the list was much higher than it had been in the late '80's. The percentage had grown, and it seemed to be less of an honor," she said.But, during an open forum to discuss the changes last Monday, students voiced concerns over raising the Dean's List minimum. Among the arguments were concerns over perceived differing grading policies between the humanities and social sciences, as compared to the School of Science at Brandeis. Grade Point Averages in the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences are, as Dean Owens states, "Slightly higher than those in the sciences," and some students say they considered any change as having a negative impact on those students in the School of Science.While comparable changes had been made in the Latin Honors Program, students also argued that the current Dean's List standard serves as a motivating tool each semester for students to push themselves to achieve higher grades. Owens cited Hillary Yaffe '03 and student representative to the UCC Stephen Burns '02 as two particularly vocal students during the forum. Although this motion was tabled, Owens said she recognizes a need to address the problem of grade inflation in other ways at Brandeis. "Next year, the UCC will talk about the larger issue of grade inflation," she said. "I don't think that it is a huge problem at Brandeis, like for instance it is at Harvard University, but we have some inflation problems. I think it is healthy for not only teachers, but students as well to talk about what an A means, or a B or C. Still, (the student forum and tabling of the motion) is the best example of student voices being heard on campus. They were articulate and persuasive and changed our thinking on the issue," she said.Mark Hewitt of the Registrar staff, via e-mail, described the UCC decision, "the proposal was tabled (deferred) until more thought can go into whether it is indeed an appropriate change," he said.Although very few definite numbers have been determined, Owens estimated that about 40 percent of Brandeis students have a GPA over 3.5 each semester. She explained that this percentage continually shrinks for those students maintaining a GPA that high for a year or a career respectively. She also estimated that, on average, between 25-30 percent of students at Brandeis have a GPA over 3.67 each semester, but that number also shrinks accordingly, if considered over a longer period. The UCC is comprised of three students, two elected and one appointed by the Student Union. Faculty and Administration make up the rest of the UCC, each sending several representatives to each meeting. The UCC has jurisdiction over all academic policy. Recently, it has been responsible for changes in the terminology of academic concentrations. Overall, student reaction to the tabling of the motion was positive. Some retained more impartial views on the Dean's List policy. "Overall it really doesn't make any difference. Graduate schools aren't necessarily going to be impressed with a student on the Dean's List eight times, it doesn't hide your GPA and overall it doesn't really matter," Joshua Contor '04 said.
(04/30/02 4:00am)
It is not often that one encounters a room filled to its capacity with vibrant students, excited middle-aged people and curious elderly. It is not common to see an audience comprised of a mixture of racial, sexual and religious identities all conversing with one another. It is not every day that there is a screening of an extremely controversial film that spurs over an hour of questions and comments from the audience afterwards. Yet, this did happen, at our own university, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Wasserman Cinemateque, with the showing of "Trembling Before G-d," a documentary that depicts the lives of homosexual Orthodox and Hasidic Jews.Released in October of 2001, this documentary, directed by Sandi Simcha Dubowski, is a powerful and poignant account of the struggles that gays and lesbians living in ultra-religious communities endure. Brought up in tight-knit, insulated neighborhoods where one is expected to abide by the Torah's teachings and dedicate one's life to God, it is a terrible burden to feel different and be condemned to lead an existence of lies and guilt. In the Torah, the official doctrine of Orthodox philosophies, there are passages seemingly against homosexual behaviors, passages which cause much pain and distress upon people who identify with a gay or lesbian lifestyle, but still want to be observant Jews."Trembling Before G-d" is a thought-provoking film because it portrays many different aspects of this bewildering, problematic subject. There are heart-wrenching interviews with gay and lesbian individuals who have been disowned by their families and shunned from their Jewish communities. There are also clips from Orthodox rabbis giving their opinions on the situation, some stressing the sadness they felt for these tortured souls, but adamant that the only way one can be accepted as a real practicing Jew is to go to therapy to attempt to change one's homosexual behaviors. There are also visions of delicious Jewish food, happy children frolicking outside their synagogues and families getting ready to light the Sabbath candles. Sounds of beautiful, rich Jewish music accompany these scenes. But, interspersed are the despondent stories of the homosexuals that are thrust out from these lives of which they so long to be a part of. One man touchingly states about his struggle, "I want a relationship with Hashem (God), including this part of my being."After the screening, there were two panelists. One was Michelle Miller, who was in the film. She is a lesbian who was raised in a Hasidic household and abandoned by her family. The other was Dr. Marc Kramer '92, a Brandeis alumnus and the National Outreach Coordinator for the film. They held a forum where the audience could ask questions and discuss what they were feeling and thinking. This set up a wonderful dialogue in which everyone had a chance to discuss various topics such as interpretations of the Torah, life as a homosexual Jew at Brandeis and outside, confusions about Orthodox rules and ways to reach out and educate others on this serious and pertinent issue. Kramer made it clear that he had faith that the Orthodox and Hasidic communities would eventually accept homosexuals, but it would take a lot of work. Bringing tears to many of the audience's eyes, he said, "When you meet an individual, you can't demonize and dehumanize them. You have to love and help - that is what being Jewish is all about."The event was sponsored by Hillel, Shalem, the Brandeis Orthodox Organization, the National Center for Jewish Film, the Women's Studies Program, the Alumni Association and Triskelion, with grants from Hewlett Pluralism Initiative and Hillel Student Projects of Greater Boston. The night was filled with laughter and tears, but most of all compassion and togetherness, with hope for a place for all in the Jewish faith.
(04/23/02 4:00am)
On a campus whose members pride themselves on a celebration of diversity and different cultures, the recent theft and vandalism of crosses displayed in honor of Christian Awareness Week is both shocking and hypocritical. The crosses, prominently erected throughout campus, were stolen on two consecutive nights by unknown parties.Although it is unclear who is responsible for the offense, it is clear that this is something the campus community cannot - and should not - ignore. No matter who is responsible for this act, community standards have been gravely violated.One does not need to spend a tremendous amount of time on the Brandeis campus to realize that the University and its student body put a large emphasis on the celebration of differences. There are weeks dedicated to raising on-campus awareness of different races, months dedicated to women's history, and numerous other events specifically created to break stereotypes and encourage understanding of others. Against this backdrop, the theft of the crosses becomes not only offensive and unacceptable, but remarkably hypocritical: To deliberately undermine one group's attempt to raise awareness and consciousness throughout campus in effect undermines the work of other groups as well.If Brandeis is truly on a quest for diversity and social justice, one cannot place greater importance on certain groups than others. Diversity is just that: Tolerance and understanding of all groups on this campus, not merely those groups that happen to be most vocal and the most populous; it seems fairly meaningless to hold forums and discussions of diversity if only certain groups are to be protected and accepted under the blanket term. Many of the students who attend Brandeis are the grandchildren - and in some cases children - of religious refugees who escaped oppressive and discriminating regimes in order to practice their faith freely. Brandeis students are of different races, ethnicities and religious backgrounds. Brandeis students take courses to discuss differences and broaden their horizons, they hold rallies and lobby the administration to encourage equality on campus, they describe themselves as activists and unite in the face of injustice: One does not need to go beyond last semester's WBRS incident to see this campus oppose an act of discrimination. One can only hope that these students can once again come together to help the Christian community: The thefts of their crosses suggest a tremendous prejudice and grave disrespect for the Christianity and its followers, as well as for members of the Brandeis community as a whole. For a campus that has expressed so much righteous anger over the WBRS incident and other instances of inequality, to leave the Christian community alone to deal with this blatant case of discrimination would essentially express a much a greater inequality on this campus - the inequality of protection and tolerance from a university prides itself on diversity.
