Science Center Display Causes Concern

A new display in the Science Center unveiled yesterday by the Society of Arab Students (SAS) sparked some concern at the introductory meeting of Harvard Students for Israel (HSI) yesterday.

The display, which features photographs, essays and quotations about Israeli presence in the disputed territories, is intended to use the second anniversary of the intifada “as a benchmark to talk about why [it’s] going on,” said Rita Hamad ’03, one of the display’s creators and the former president of SAS.

The display, which is titled “What is Occupation?” includes sections on such topics as “Settlement Expansion” and “Torture.”

HSI member Max Davis ’04 said he is worried about the manner in which the display presented information.

“I feel like it was published in a background that ignores what has gone on,” Davis said.

“There’s good reason for the display, but I hope people will learn about events in a way that doesn’t place them in a vacuum,” he added.

Hamad said the display in the Science Center is principally a protest against Israeli occupation, made even more timely by University President Lawrence H. Summers’ Sept. 17 speech though the display had been in the works for quite some time.

Summers warned in that speech that several campus initiatives, including the divestment petition and a Harvard student group’s fundraising activities, are effectively anti-Semitic.

“Trying to relate anti-occupation [activism] with anti-Semitism is trying to shut up those who don’t support the Israeli government,” Hamad said.

SAS Vice President Hana A. Habayeb ’05 emphasized the presentation was part of the group’s effort to reach out to the campus.

“Most of our work is...to share our culture,” said Habayeb. “It’s also important to share our political views with the Harvard community.”

Hamad said she had received positive responses from students who had seen the exhibit. Several wanted more information about the intifada or about the pictures displayed.

The Crimson was unable to obtain comment from HSI officers about the display.

The majority of HSI’s introductory meeting was spent outlining their plans to educate the campus about Israeli issues this coming year.

“I want this group to be there for the many people on this campus who support and care about Israel and who don’t have the resources or the education,” said HSI Cultural Liaison Avi D. Heilman ’04.

Tentative plans include working with Frankfurter Professor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz and inviting speakers, such as Rep. Michael A. Capuano (D-Mass) and Sen. Ted Kennedy ’54-’56 (D-Mass), to HSI events, according to Heilman and HSI President David B. Adelman ’04.

Heilman also stressed the Campus Hillel Ambulance Initiative, which raises funds to pay for ambulances that serve Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank.

Last year, HSI raised nearly $40,000 in only a few weeks, but another $30,000 is needed to pay for fully equipped ambulance, according to Heilman.