Bibi Makes Another Visit to Yeshiva

According to sources in Lamm's office, Netanyahu volunteered to speak again this year, after stating in numerous conversations how pleased he was with his prior visit. The former prime minister later told The Commentator that he considers it particularly important to speak at Yeshiva because it is "the hub of Jewish identity, of aliyah, of pride, of scholarship - the foremost institution of its kind outside of Israel."

In spite of the three-week advance notice of Netanyahu's appearance, some members of the Yeshiva community accused the University of poor planning. Netanyahu's visit coincided with a scheduled YCDS performance slated for that evening since last September. The lecture also competed with a fashion show at Stern College, and an MTA Open House in the same building that housed the lecture. "Dean [David] Himber's office should've told the students to allow us to clear the schedule for his arrival," complained an irate Pinchas Shapiro, YCSC president. "I first heard about it the Friday before he [Netanyahu] spoke. If they had three weeks notice, we could've been informed earlier."

Himber, University Dean of Students, responded that as far as he knows, the signs went up by Friday, which gave students enough time to plan. "Furthermore," he averred, "we have a large, diverse university with many activities. Sometimes, it's just nearly impossible to work around all of them, especially considering that Mr. Netanyahu picked the date." He did concede that signs probably could have gone up earlier, and "logistical" problems delayed them; but he still maintained that five days notice provided ample planning time, and he pointed to the large turnout as evidence of the accuracy of this assertion. As far as informing student leaders earlier, Himber allowed that Shapiro's point was "fair."

The two parts of Netanyahu's visit on Tuesday were coordinated under two distinct auspices. The dinner was officially organized by Lamm's office, while Dr. Frank Felsenstein, director of Yeshiva's Honors Program, invited the student guests. On the following afternoon in the midtown campus, Netanyahu graced a similar sit-down meal with invited student guests and select Stern faculty.

Sy Syms Student Council President Dorian Levy introduced Netanyahu's lecture in lieu of Shapiro, whose performance in the YCDS production precluded his attendance. Many students welcomed the change to a peer speaker, in contrast to last year's slate, which had Dr. Lamm introducing the former head of state.

Netanyahu's speech echoed last year's, playing on themes of Israel's dealing with its Arab neighbors and its approach to the broader peace process. "Oslo is dead. Arafat killed it," he cried, continuing to describe an Israeli society disillusioned with Arafat's "empty" promises. He also quoted from Immanuel Kant's Perpetual Peace, which distinguishes between peace with a democracy and peace with a dictatorship. Since the PLO is a dictatorship, Netanyahu argued, we can't look at their external stated positions, which are crafted for and directed at the world; we will know there is a change only when internal speech changes as well. Therefore, he concluded, Israel has to demand not just the cessation of violence but also the cessation of propaganda for war and destruction. "Of all the battles, the battle for truth is the most significant," he asserted. Netanyahu explained how he thinks the information revolution will eventually expose Arabs to new viewpoints, "and then power will be taken away from dictators" and the second type of peace can ensue.

Most students were impressed with Netanyahu's speech, though some expressed disappointment that he repeated many of the themes from last year's remarks. Some students were upset by what they called his "hypocrisies."

"He gives a right-leaning speech now that he's not prime minister, but he acted very differently when he was in office," averred one student. Others were annoyed that he left out prominent mention of God or religion, despite his having deemed the events following the collapse of the Barak concessions and subsequent outbreak of violence nothing short of "a miracle." Netanyahu asserted that had Barak gone through with his plans to give in to Palestinian demands, Israel would have been in unbelievable danger. Now, he claimed, we can take comfort in the fact that sentiment within Israel has shifted to recognize the insincerity that characterizes Arafat promises, and people are finally beginning to realize that peaceful Palestinian rhetoric is nothing more than a ploy.

The Honors dinner received better feedback. One YC sophomore commented, "Finally the honors program did something right. Other dinners and functions are simply uninteresting." Another mused, "It's nice to finally be served wedding food at a YU event."

While Netanyahu's speech and the accompanying food engendered positive reaction from the student body, some controversy developed over the selection process of Honors students as the sole invitees to the dinner. Many students wondered why Honors students were selected over anyone else, a point made more poignant considering the fact that the funding for the dinner did not come from the honors college budget, according to President Lamm's assistant, Gladys Cherny, who helped arrange the dinner.

Yehuda Shmidman, president of Yeshiva's MACPAC chapter of AIPAC, the American Israel Lobby, openly voiced his distress over what he termed "the elitist nonsense" of the Honors society. He wondered why art majors, for example, should have more of a right to attend than students who actively participate in events for Israel throughout the year. He contrasted the Netanyahu speech with the previous month's lecture delivered by Yoram Hazony, which was planned in cooperation with a broader spectrum of relevant student leaders, like Jason Orenstein, head of the Israel Club on campus. Felsenstein himself had billed Netanyahu's special honors address a continuation of the program to which the Hazony lecture belonged, reaffirming the contrast drawn by Shmidman.

Many wondered why elected student leaders were ignored. SOY President Shalom Schwartz noted that it was "unfortunate we weren't invited. In an event like this, it's more important that student leaders attend than honors students." Chani Schubert, SCWSC president likewise felt "extremely disappointed" that non-honors students at Stern were not invited to the parallel function in midtown last Wednesday. "It's insulting that they neglected to invite student leaders, who represent the student body of Stern," she lamented. According to Cherny, the president's office arranged the dinner, after which she informed Dr. Felsenstein that he could invite only a limited number of students. Cherny said invitations were arranged through the Honors college because "that's the way it was always done - one general speech, one meeting with honors college from main campus, and one meeting with honors college from midtown campus," making reference to last year's visit, which followed a similar pattern. Felsenstein insisted that both honors students and non-honors students who are taking honors courses were invited, as well as student leaders. Still, all student leaders deny receiving any invitations, which already went out in mid-March and were to be returned by the 19th of the month. Felsenstein also regretted not being able to invite more students, "but the space [in Lamm's suite] was clearly tight." As to why that location was selected in light of the problems it posed, Felsenstein offered no clear response.