With impeding elections in Israel, Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, and the existential threat that Israel is facing from Iran, security in Israel and the idea of a two state solution are constantly on the minds of many students. Zionists often worry about the future of the State of Israel, its boarders, and its security. For many, it can be scary to constantly hear that a two state solution may be imminent and this may the only way to ensure Israel’s security and its position in the international view. Rabbi Jeremy Gimpel was able offer the student body a new perspective on the situation. World Mizrachi, a well-known religious Zionist organization, approached the YU Israel Club asking if they wanted Rabbi Gimpel to come speak; one of the topic options they were given was “Alternatives to the Two State Solution”. According to Israel Club president Michael Osborne, “the goal of the event was to present to the student body the idea that there are other options out there besides the two state solution.”
Rabbi Jeremy Gimpel is a member of HaBayit HaYehudi and is the current Director of Global Outreach for World Mizrachi. He has been very successful in spreading the truth about Israel around the world, first through his TV show and currently through is YouTube channel, VoicesForIsrael. On Monday February 23rd, Jeremy Gimpel came to Stern to speak to the student body about his alternatives to the peace process. When asked why he specifically wanted to come speak to the YU community, Rabbi Gimpel’s response was,
“YU at its best is the think tank of Religious Zionism in America. Rav Soloveitchik once stood as the President of Mizrachi. Representing the World Mizrachi Movement based in Jerusalem, connecting with the next generation of Israel minded leaders was an obvious stop on my US tour. Now I hope they take the next step and join our Summer Leadership Internship Program this summer in Jerusalem. We had one night at YU to discuss a hot topic about God and Politics. My hopes are to have six weeks and explore a lot more.”
Rabbi Gimpel spoke about his ideas for alternatives to the peace process in Israel. One of his main ideas was to bring G-d into the conversation. He highlighted the fact that G-d is always kept out of the conversation from our side, but never from the Palestinian side; he argued that we, too, should be making this a religious issue. Religion has been used as a unifying factor for the Arabs in this conflict, as many claim to be acting for the sake of Islam. Rabbi Gimpel’s idea was that we, too, could use religion to be a unifying factor. Instead of just listing the political reasons why we have a right to the State of Israel, which should not be ignored, we should also show how we have a biblical claim to Israel, and how the Arabs do not.
What made this event different from any other event that the Israel Club has run this year? Simply put, this event was tailored for the YU community. Students were spoken to as individuals who understand the history and who know what the conflict is about, and did not have to spend most of our time going through background information. Additionally, this was not a formal speech. Rather, it was an interactive discussion where each opinion was heard and considered. Merav Gold (SCW ’16) said that she “really liked that Jeremy presented a fresh idea about Israel and peace talks. It was refreshing to hear an actual Israeli say that maybe trying something new might work. I really enjoyed that we all sat in a circle. It was much more of a discussion than a lecture, and every person’s opinion was of value to the discussion”.
The Israel Club has recently realized that lecture events are not always what students are looking for. Sometimes a discussion event is much more appropriate, especially for a topic as controversial as Israeli politics. This event was not one during which someone stood at the front of the room and told his audience his opinion about what Israel should do. Jeremy Gimpel did tell the students his opinion but he also wanted to hear their opinions as well. His openness to students challenging him and he engaging those students in a high level conversation is what made this an exceptionally successful event.