Why I Let Anti-Israel Protesters Interrupt My Talk

Last weekend, I went to a small college in Pennsylvania to talk about history. I wanted to speak about the Jewish history that forged Israeli identity. It is a grim story, a tale of displacement and mass death, a story that explains much of the gap in worldview and politics between Israeli and American Jews.I did not expect the history lesson to begin before I had even started my talk.At the start of the event at Haverford College, over a dozen masked people wearing keffiyehs entered the lecture hall. It was a scene that has become dreary and familiar across American campuses and that I was told had become routine at Jewish student events at the elite college (cost to attend: $97,521 per year). Any minute now, the marching would begin, the chanting, the performance of intimidation, the masked pretense of doing something dangerous and courageous.Subscribe to Unlock This StorySupport fearless journalism and unlock all of The Free Press—your first week is on us.Annual$8.33/monthBilled as $100 yearlyMonthly$10/monthBilled as $10 monthlyAlready have an account?Sign In