last May one Brandeis student who is herself Izraeli Jewish for her class of peace building through art decided to put up an exhibition by Palestinian children or teenagers from a refugee camp just near the wall of separation. it was named "Voices of Palestine".



however, the paintings hung in the library met a controversial end. the president of the university where half of the students are Jewish, most likely due to pressure from donors, ordered the paintings to be removed after only several days they had been on display in the far corner down the third floor. the official reason was that they were too insulting and shocking for Brandeis community... with a snake forming David's star, the wall and Arab blood spilt by Izraeli tanks. this was the reality the children saw around them, growing up in the camp. to some peoples' opinion, this was politics in the disguise of art. yet most welcomed the exhibition because the voices of the Palestinians are rarely heard here. yes, Brandeis has partnership with al-Quds university, which is an Arab institution. and Tony Kushner who wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's "Munich", recieved an honorary doctorate degree at Brandeis the same May. besides, Heller school and coexistance program are one of the best programs in peace building in the country... and still, the exhibition was down, "the Boston globe" wrote about this scandal of academic free speech denial to Izraeli's political enemies and censorship at a so-called "secular" Jewish institution which was accused by some as being zionist... and the paintings went to M.I.T. leaving Brandeis is shock and disagreement, distrust and frustration among its community members which continue into today.



at "Museums and Public memory" class this morning we were discussing this controversial exhibition behind shut doors and with promisses not to uncover the details of disputes and fractures in the university's administration. then Nadia, who is originally Lebanese, but is American citizen, spoke up... about how unsafe she feels in her country... that after the war in Lebanon had started she didn't want to leave home for a week... that at Brandeis Arab students receive death threats and nobody cares about that... Nadia cried when she was talking... the class was speechless. this opened my eyes... not that i had never noticed and realized, but i had never thought that it does have a direct impact on my fellow students... Izraeli politics and class asignements at Brandeis are so closely connected... as are lives and comfort of Arab students with the funding university gets from wealthy Jews... this matrix of power is threatening... and there is nothing one can do... not even faculty members who can object only to the limit of being fired for one-sidedness, for expressing only one view... our Southern Sudanese refugees' exhibition will take the place of the "Voices of Palestine". however many discussions and ethical questions it might raise, since it has nothing to to with Izrael, freedom of speech is in our hands. it is much easier to criticize the government of the United States that the one in Izrael. at least that is what i have learnt so far. through the tears of my friend.