CHAI hosts rally in front of library

In celebration of Israeli Independence Day, the Coalition for Hopkins Activists for Israel (CHAI) hosted a rally outside of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library (MSE) at noon yesterday. Given the timing of the holiday to the recent outbreak of violence in the Middle East, the rally also took the opportunity to promote a pro-Israel counter-point to last week's Middle East peace rally. The six graduate student organizers of that rally had denied CHAI their request to speak after the April 10 event.

"In light of the situation right now [in the Middle East], we felt it was appropriate to have speakers," said freshman Bita Achdam, who helped to organize the CHAI Independence Day rally. "It wasn't so much a political statement, but a celebration of [Israel's] existence and that there's no way we're ever going to disappear, ever."

In former years, CHAI and Hillel, the Jewish student organization, have organized a club night to celebrate the holiday, but that event was dropped for this year.

"Given the situation, there's only so much you can celebrate, seeing that there are people dying on both sides," Achdam said.

Yesterday's rally on campus follows a pro-Israel Independence Day rally held in Washington, D.C. on Monday. About 60 Hopkins students attended the 200,000-person event, taking one of several charter buses arranged for students by the local Baltimore Zionist District, according to Achdam.

Wednesday's campus rally, like the national rally, was held in support of the Israeli nation, many of whose citizens are afraid to celebrate Independence Day publicly this year because of recent Middle East violence, according to freshman and CHAI member Yonina Alexander.

CHAI rally offered several student speakers who gave firsthand accounts of life in Israel.

Freshman Ben Greene reflected on his life in Israel last year: "I saw the violence firsthand. I think it's important to support Israel, especially with all the violence and troubles that are going on now." He added that he felt last week's peace rally "was at some points one-sided."

The event, which attracted about 30 observers, did not attract the number of students at the peace rally last week, which attracted about 100.

Student observers said they were drawn for various reasons.

"My main purpose for coming was to show my support for Israel and its ideals and its right to defend itself against terrorism," said sophomore Elan Diamond. He said he also came "in memory of my friend, who was shot in the head last week [in Israel] and my cousin, [also an inhabitant of Israel,] who was killed about a month ago while sitting in his dorm room studying."

Freshman Joe Mazzarini attended both last week's rally and this week's counter-rally: "I didn't really know anything about either side. I thought it would be fair to come for both, even though I'm favored a little to the pro-Israel side, I think.