The appearance of David Bouskila, mayor of Sderot, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union on Nov. 11 was the first Israel-supportive event on the campus involving Hillel Milwaukee since last April.
That previous event was Hillel’s “Israelpalooza” on April 29, celebrating Israel’s Independence Day. It was marred by anti-Israel and anti-Semitic graffiti, and by a brief violent altercation when a Muslim Student Association member struck a Jewish student. (See June 2010 Chronicle.)
According to Heidi Rattner, executive director of Hillel Milwaukee, one of the actions that UWM’s administration took in response to that incident was to draw up a written list of “Audience Behavior Guidelines” available to be handed out at campus events.
Rattner and the other organizers used these at Bouskila’s speech. Rattner said in a conversation with The Chronicle after Bouskila’s talk that she learned about them from the student Republican organization, which told her that they had to hand them out. “This is a brand new thing” that took effect this semester, she said.
“So what we decided to do in order to maintain respect,” she said, “we asked people to sign the ‘Audience Behavior Guidelines’ before they came in the room.” She added that the guidelines were also available for signature at the online registration page for the event.
The guidelines handout states, “Any individual or group of individuals who violate these guidelines … will be removed and subject to arrest.”
The guidelines include such statements as:
• “Audience members must remain seated” during events.
• “No sticks or standards” may be carried in.
• “Noise levels that impede the program’s progress or the audience’s ability to hear shall not be permitted.”
• “Behavior that infringes on the safety of others or endangers University property shall not be permitted.”
Diana Azimov, the Hillel Milwaukee student board president and one of the students who worked on the event, said this was the first time Hillel has used these guidelines.
When asked if she thought the guidelines helped maintain the calm and civil atmosphere of the event, during both Bouskila’s speech and the question session, Azimov said, “I certainly hope so, but I really don’t know.”
Bouskila’s speech also was significant in being the practical debut of a new pro-Israel organization on the UWM campus. It is called the Israel Club, and it is the “brainchild” of Savannah Hunnicutt, a junior majoring in English, who also serves as the group’s president.
In a conversation after Bouskila’s talk, Hunnicutt said she had the idea during the summer, inspired by the “Israelpalooza” incident.
“It is evident that there is a strong anti-Israel voice on campus,” including the Muslim Students Association and the Students for a Democratic Society, she said. “I really wanted a voice for Israel advocacy on campus, one that is non-denominational, not religiously affiliated.”
“Our goal,” Hunnicutt continued, “is to really reframe the way people see Israel” and to “give an accurate image of Israel through educational programming.”
Though the group did hold a previous event on campus last month, Bouskila’s talk was its first large one. In fact, “we just became official,” Hunnicutt said.
Moreover, this event fulfilled what Hunnicutt said was another of the Israel Club’s goals, “to work with other student groups.”
While Bouskila’s overall visit to Milwaukee was arranged through the Jewish National Fund Wisconsin Region, his appearance at UWM was co-sponsored and coordinated by Hillel Milwaukee, the Israel Club, and UWM’s College Democrats and College Republicans groups.
The collaboration with the last two organizations particularly gladdens Hunnicutt.
“It proves that Israel is not a political issue, and it shouldn’t be,” she said. “It is a humanitarian issue that can be separated from liberal or conservative perspectives.”
At present, the organization comprises Hunnicutt and three other officers, and “about 30 to 35 people signed up,” she said.
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