Let’s Bring Kaplan Street to Harvard Square

With our nation’s colleges and universities only weeks away from re-opening, we should anticipate that protests surrounding the Israeli- Hamas war will resume. Over the spring, many schools failed to effectively manage the protests and encampments and they did not hold firm to their already established rules about student conduct and disruption of the learning environment. More disturbing is that while some schools began to hold students accountable for breaking laws and school policy, by now many have now either watched local authorities wipe charges—such as at Columbia where the New York district attorney dropped charges against the students—or have simply changed their minds on punishing students, such as what has happened at Harvard. In a social media post, the Palestine Solidarity Committee and other allies proudly declared that “Harvard has caved in, showing that student intifada will always prevail.” Schools and the nation should be ready for more protests that may be even more disruptive. Not only has there been time for students and outside agitator groups to organize, coordinate, and set up legal counsel, but schools have also sent the message that students who brake campus rules and the law—from harassment to acts of violence and overt campus disruptions—will not be held accountable for these actions.

A critical question this fall will be how Jewish students—particularly the many who oppose Israel’s conduct in the Gaza War—are supposed to manage another round of protests that lack nuance. The fact of the matter is that American Jews are not at all united around Israel’s approach to managing the war against Hamas. Some American Jews support Israel fully and want to see Hamas wiped out, while others would prefer a softer approach, and still others criticize and even condemn Israel’s actions

A Pew survey conducted in February (before the massive demonstrations on college campuses) found that fully a third of American Jews view the way Israel is carrying out its response to Hamas’ October 7 attack as “unacceptable.” And that figure rises to 42% among those 18-34, far more than the 28% among those 50 and over.

Given the overall slide in Israel attachment over the age curve, it’s reasonable to assume that most Jewish undergraduates today regard Israel’s response as unacceptable. And taking matters further, the figure rejecting Israel’s conduct is undoubtedly higher among political progressives, a group that makes up a large fraction of students at Ivy League and other elite schools. By any reckoning, the vast majority of Jewish students at high-prestige campuses are critical or even highly critical of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza War.

A sense of their objections can be found in several publicized remarks by Jewishly affirming young people who claim to be moved to action by their Jewish values. To take one example: In early May, more than 750 Jewish students signed an open letter that illustrates the sentiments held by a large (but unknown) number of Jewish students. It’s totally consistent with the signs, chants and rhetoric of campus protesters:

“More than 34,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed since October 7th. Israel has killed more than 14,000 children and destroyed schools, hospitals, and all institutions of higher learning in Gaza. The Israeli government has done nothing to return the remaining 133 hostages to their families as they continue to hold thousands of Palestinian prisoners without charge. Instead, Netanyahu’s far right-wing coalition—backed by the Biden administration—has chosen to escalate the war, destruction, and loss of life. In the West Bank, full villages are being depopulated after months of settler terrorism.”

The issue now is this: In view of their own opposition to Israel’s conduct of the Gaza War—to say nothing of most of their on-campus friends’ views—how are pro-Israel/pro-ceasefire young Jews to express themselves? This past spring, the choices were polarized and extreme. The only available option for such students would have been the pro-Palestinian demonstrations led by self-declared anti-Zionists who appear to go so far as to call for the elimination of the Jewish State. At least that’s how observers have interpreted the frequently repeated chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” If current trends continue on campus, to oppose current Israeli policies, Jewish students, many with strong Jewish background, Israel experiences, and Jewishly committed parents, may have only two unappealing choices that do not reflect their views: (1) join the pro-Palestinian demonstrations with their anti-Zionist if not antisemitic messaging, or (2) remain silent.

But what if they had an alternative? What if they could denounce Israeli policies, revile its Prime Minister and his right-wing political allies, and demand a ceasefire in return for freeing the hostages, while flying Israeli flags and singing Hatikvah at their rallies’ conclusion? If they were in Tel Aviv almost any time since October 7 they could have joined tens of thousands of Israelis every Saturday night on the broad expanse of Kaplan Street—now renamed Democracy Square— and shout “Shame, shame, shame” at the mention of Bibi’s name and hear speakers demanding a ceasefire and return of the hostages immediately.

Right now, in North America or on campuses, there is no Kaplan Street option. We see only small groups, largely Israeli ex-pats and students, staging anti-war/anti-government but pro-Israel demonstrations in several cities. But what if they were to grow in number and size, augmented by passionate pro-Israel American Jews? What if left-leaning Zionist and pro-Israel groups were to actively mobilize their constituencies to participate in these expressions, such as the anti-Netanyahu protest in Washington on July 24? And what if so-called Jewish legacy organizations gave at least tacit approval and financial support to pro-Israel/anti-government protests in the U.S.? In short, what if we brought the spirit of Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street to Harvard Square, to the Columbia Quadrangle, and to scores of campuses throughout North America?

In short, what if we brought the spirit of Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street to Harvard Square, to the Columbia Quadrangle, and to scores of campuses throughout North America?

Come September, if the Gaza war continues, the pro-Palestinian demonstrations will come back in full force on campuses. We can only hope that pro-Israel students will have more options than they did this past spring. They must be able to march both in favor of a ceasefire and against the rule of anti-democratic, ultra-nationalist Israeli leadership—but as pro-Israel Jews and as Zionists. They should have the option of opposing the Israeli government and supporting the Jewish State.

They must be able to march both in favor of a ceasefire and against the rule of anti-democratic, ultra-nationalist Israeli leadership—but as pro-Israel Jews and as Zionists.

But that will be possible only if American Jewish communal leaders, philanthropists, rabbis and thought leaders join with and support the small movement of Israelis protesting the current government and the longest serving Prime Minister in Israeli history.

Given the many views held by younger Jews on college campuses, the question for the Jewish community at large is whether it can risk alienating and possibly losing younger Jews and their support of Israel by not giving them a chance to express views that may not be so popular with some segments of the community. Jews like to debate and disagree. We will continue to debate Israel and its leadership and we need to helping younger Jews express their views and discuss them even when some of us may vehemently disagree with them. Failure to recognize the divergent views of younger Jewish students on campus may push them even further away from Israel and the Jewish community. With so many in the world calling for Israel’s destruction and for the death of Jews globally, the Jewish community cannot afford to alienate those in its youngest cohort.

Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.