Shalhevet hears Edwin Black

Students at Midreshet Shalhevet in North Woodmere were privileged to hear from award-winning journalist Edwin Black on April 29.

Black, whose column appears periodically in The Jewish Star, spoke about how American taxpayer dollars are going to fund Palestinian terrorists. He explained that the United States sets aside money to give to the Palestinian government to foster peace; however, the Palestinian government uses that money to pay the terrorists’ families after they carry out an attack.

He said that there is a sliding scale for each terrorist — the more people that they killed, the more money their families receive.

Black also informed the students of the dangers of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that is active on many college campuses. BDS applies social and economic pressure on Israel and promote establishment of a fully Arab-Palestinian state.

He spoke about the New Israel Fund (NIF) which supports BDS and gives substantial money to a group called Btzelem which oftentimes incites teenage Arabs against Israeli soldiers by taunting them within inches of their face, draping their guns with Palestinian flags, and filming the outrage when the Israeli soldiers push back the offending parties.

Both BDS and NIF are pushing for the State of Israel to become a Palestinian domain. They are trying to force Israel to give, instead of having the sides participate in direct negotiations. The BDS and NIF approach undermines Israel’s existence, he said.

The students enjoyed hearing from Edwin Black as he was engaging, insightful, and brought important subjects to light.