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An E-mail sent to the President of Marquette University on September 27, 2005 by a Deir Yassin Remembered Patron regarding the presentation by Board member, Hedy Epstein:
Dear Reverend Wild:
I am a retired lawyer and ardent believer in candor as a necessity to meaningful discussion. I quote to you the information I received this past Saturday:
“Right now Hedy Epstein .......... and two others have been invited to participate this weekend in a panel, entitled "Jews of Conscience," which is part of a larger conference - "Justice & Mercy: A Conference on Peacemaking in a World of Many Faiths," at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Certain Marquette professors and some in the local Jewish community are upset about what Hedy and the other two might say. The university organizers even asked that they send information about what they are going to say in advance. Hedy's panel is the only one required to do that.
You know that a campus is one place where content of political speech is an inappropriate standard for its suppression. Why would Marquette University burden candid remarks from a respected lady? "Upset" is not an intellectual behavior - rather a symptom of the prejudice of a closed mind.
I once belonged to a university-affiliated current affairs discussion group that styled itself as "democratic". Once when the subject of wholesale stealing of Palestinian farmlands and the sadistic oppression of the Palestinians was raised, a group member expressed unhappiness with the topic. Not dissent - unhappiness. As a result, Israel was declared by the chair as a taboo subject for discussion. That was 3 years ago - the taboo remains in effect. No dialogue = no exploration of policy options.
Someday ordinary people will grasp the enormous price Americans have paid and will pay for our government's misguided "pro-Israel" prejudice because of the so-far successful campaign to intimidate those who would bring the Palestinian tragedy into the light of day.
The worst crimes - such as the US-sanctioned on-going genocide of the indigenous Arab society in Palestine - are committed in the dark, out of sight, out of mind. Our nation is complicit. Courageous people like Ms. Epstein are anathema to those who hate the idea of justice for the Palestinians.
Please do not allow Marquette University to be a facilitator of the hate that feeds this inhumane historical tragedy.
Yours,
John Mansour, Esq.
Rochester, NY
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