Head of Northwestern's Jewish student center calls for greater understanding from all sides in wake of Israel-Hamas conflict

Northwestern
Photo credit Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

EVANSTON, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The man who runs the Jewish student center at Northwestern University is calling on all sides to show greater understanding when discussing the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Michael Simon, the executive director of Northwestern Hillel, raised concerns about fake front pages that were wrapped around copies of "The Daily Northwestern" student newspaper earlier this week.

The fake front pages accused Northwestern of being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians.

They also featured a fake ad for Birthright Israel, a travel program for young Jewish adults, that included the slogan "One man’s home is another man’s former home!"

Simon said the fake front pages unfairly targeted all Jews, just as he said some people wrongly blame all Palestinians for the actions of Hamas.

"There's a rising sense of kind of tension that makes students feel unsettled and students walking into their classes and seeing these fake newspapers felt an unsettling sense that we're not on a campus where dialogue or trying to understand differences is being respected right now," he explained.

"It's more about scoring political points."

Simon said it's important for all sides to have open and honest discussions of the issues facing Israel and the Palestinians, while avoiding unfairly broad accusations.

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