Kudos to MIT and the MIT Police for allowing protests and counter protests and creating an environment where real dialogue was happening around the encampment. Israeli, American Flags, Palestinian Flags and Keffiyahs all mingled. Super inspiring to hear one young Jewish person talk to a variety of people so eloquently and with knowledge they said they learned from teach-ins that occurred within the encampment. Also Kudos to the MIT faculty who stood around identified by pink arm bands to just be a support for the students. Their neutral presence created an environment which for the most part meant that people regardless of who they were, were respectful. I only saw one guy act disrespectful....He was wearing a Kippa and seemed more interested in impressing his girlfriend by trying to create a scene. He was surrounded by MIT police and the faculty and the situation quickly de-escalated. This is what EDUCATION looks like!!!!
Back to the young man wearing a Kippa and a pro Israeli t-shirt. I first noticed him when he was leaving the encampment and shouted angrily at those standing at the entrance to the encampment “F—-k YOU”. A few minutes later I overheard him literally bragging to a young woman about what he had just done telling her that somebody accidentally touched him and so he shouted back at them. It was clear he was quite roused by having done that in front of so many spectators. 20 minutes passed and then I heard him sound all pumped up again and told the girl he was going back in. He walked toward the entrance of the encampment with the female following him. He sounded like he was heading back into a boxing ring. As an outside supporter he seemed more like a young animal trying to impress a potential mating female than a thoughtful college student. It was almost comical except it wasn’t because he clearly was eager to engage with others physically if allowed. I have to say watching the way the police and faculty create a circle around him and make it clear his testosterone and desire for physical conflict had no place was inspiring and a wonderful example of how policing should be done. I didn’t see where this young man went after that but for the next 40 minutes that we stood around he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps embarrassed he went back to his dorm. I wonder what the girl he was trying to impress thought?
Meanwhile there was a woman, probably about my age, who spoke about her grandchildren and her grandmother and great-grandparents who had suffered horribly during the Holocaust. It was clear she was still carrying generational trauma related to those years because when the impressive young person, who I had mentioned at the start of this post, started talking about how MIT receives US and Israeli money to do research for military drones used to kill in Gaza, the older woman accused the young person of lying and making up facts. The AI and Drone technology that is resulting in the killing of so many innocent people (including aid workers) comes from institutions like MIT and these young people are right to protest. The young person was calm and collected and pointed out that the IDF funds MIT receives for research into drone technology is all on the books and available for anyone to see.
