To the Editor:

Re: “Disproportionate Actions and Antics,” Opinion, Feb. 17

In Tuesday’s Sun, Carolyn Witte made many statements that were either poorly researched or very biased. The gravest of these inaccuracies, I feel, was the repeated failure to differentiate between being Jewish and being pro-Israel. Unfortunately, this has been a common occurrence lately. Navid Farnia claimed last Thursday that the infamous Resolution 29, condemning Iran’s sponsorship of terrorist organizations and its nuclear program, was sponsored by “Jewish students.” While many Jewish students supported the Resolution, its primary sponsors were S.A. President Tim Lin ’06 and President-elect Kwame Thomison ’07, neither of whom are Jewish.

There are few things that irk me more than such ignorance and generalization, so I’d like to make a request of those reading this: don’t base your position regarding Israel on your religious beliefs.

It is true that the Jewish community has a religious connection to Israel, which may explain why many Jews support the state. Consider the following, though: Israel is the only stable democracy in the Middle East, it is the only country in the region where men and women have equal rights and it is one of only four countries in the world whose army does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.

While I was on CIPAC’s lobbying trip last week, one congressman assured me that he would continue to support Israel, especially since many of his constituents are Jewish. I’d like to call on everybody from East Hill to Capitol Hill to ask yourself not if you believe in the words of the Torah, but if you believe in democracy, equality, and civil rights. If so, Israel is your country, too.

Zac Peeples ’09