The comments under the video include one apparently by Zimmerman.

Calling them racists is a joke.

That’s what I think.

I don’t think there was ANY racism in the statement you supposedly heard. There was criticism – fair criticism, it seems – of the governing by the YFS. This is perfectly legitimate and can only be construed as racism if you’re looking for a lie to use against your foes who have a legitimate claim to which you have no response. In other words, it’s a cynical ploy just as the original post above claims.

LB, Jesse can’t grab anything. He feels it’s justified to go up to Jewish students and call them racists because they’re Zionists. After all, even if you assume that his story is true and all of the Drop YFS members and leaders were racists (which they aren’t, and there is no evidence, including his story above, that indicates they are), what is the connection between that and Zionism?

And Jesse, it is perfectly legitimate for a group called Drop YFS that is angry about the YFS’s poor handling of a strike to become outraged that the next step their democratically elected student government takes is to pass a resolution condemning Israel. That is also about governance and not about Zionism or anything else connected to it, as the presence of non-Jews and people who weren’t affiliated with the Jewish groups listed by Krisna in the video, not to mention the thousands of voters who voted to impeach the YFS, proves conclusively.

And Jesse, please stop trying to lecture us about manners. If ck attacks you “personally” or if somebody calls you a “self-hating Jew,” you may be offended, but it really isn’t beneath you. What you did that day at York U was so low that it would take quite a bit to insult you worse than you insulted yourself with your behavior.

Of course it isn’t, and while the rest of what you say is right, as well, I fear that JesseZ might grab onto your (correct) argument about Zionism not being racism, and turn this into that debate instead.

I thank you for your anecdotal evidence. You can understand why it’s not as compelling as information coming from an unbiased source but let’s grant you the courtesy of assuming its basic veracity, ok? Now, are you saying that the isolated actions of a few individuals are reflective of the entire organization? Are you saying that Drop YFS is in fact a racist organization, populated by racist individuals bent on promoting a racist agenda? Do you feel that Hillel is a racist organization? Do you acknowledge the fact that most Jews are supporters of Israel? If so are most Jews racist?

These are of course loaded questions. I’m speaking to you from Jerusalem. I’m outside in a cafe right now in the central market. The guy dishing out nuts in the kiosk next to me is a dark Kurdish Jew. Two redhead hassidic girls just walked by. My Palestinian neighbor is up the street buying pitas. Sitting next to me is an Ethiopian Jewish couple and near them a Muslim family – the wife is wearing a Chador and the husband is bearded and wearing a white Islamic style cap.

So tell me again how Zionism is racism? And please tell me how the goings on in a tiny country 10,000 miles away is of any relevance to the proper governance of York students?

Finally, I’m wondering when YFS is going to pass a resolution condemning the 20,000 civilian deaths caused by the Sri Lankan Army’s recent defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

Send me the press release. I’m waiting.

You ask for sources. I have none. I witnessed them, as I was actually present and did not record them. Can I expect you to believe me? No, it’s clear you already made up your minds about me so there’s no use continuing to say anything.

The reason why people went to Hillel was because they thought the press conference was continuing up there and wanting to see what was going on. I was one of a hundred or so people. It was clear to me, as well as others, that a major compnenet of the DROP YFS campaign was over the bombing of Gaza. As I said, no anti-semitic comments were made, I heard absolutely none of the that, and if I had I would have left. Believe what you want, believe what the media says, but the adjudicator to this case had no conclusive evidence that the door was ever barricaded or that anti-semitic comments were ever made.

Think whatever you want.

I rest my case.

Please explain to me, Jesse, why you brought up Zionists.

Why did you bring up Zionists?

Why did the person with whom you were seen livening up the mob, Krisna, bring up Jewish and Zionist groups in the video interview outside the press conference even though the event had NOTHING to do with Israel, Zionism or Judaism? How does this coincide with your attack on Zionists outside of Hillel even though this was an event dealing with the YFS?

It’s a simple question.

Oh, and a small note. You continue to claim that the students attacked by you made ugly racist comments. Can you please provide evidence? What is your claim exactly? What did they say and when did they say it? I’m asking not only because I don’t believe you, but because that is your defense here. You are saying in essence, “These Jews called others nasty things that I believe are racist and as a result, I called them Zionists and racists instead of focusing on their campaign against the YFS.” I’d like to see your logic at work here.

Now, if you read the fine print, the adudicator found no evidence of anti-semitism or that students were ‘barricaded’ inside the Hillel office. I, for one, actually got students to move away from the door at one point so as not to deny access to the students inside. The findings by the adjudicator mentioned this in her report as well. I have been misrepresented in this. I am not an anti-semite in any sense of the word. I am staunchly anti-Zionist and I do not apologize for that.

If a black man assaults another black man, is it not a crime because they were both black?

The DROP YFS formed in large part because of the YFS passing a motion on condeming the bombings on Gaza.

Drop YFS was put together in December. The YFS’s Gaza resolution wasn’t passed until January 21.

This is something you haven’t mentioned.

See the Paragraph that follows the word “deflection” in the post above.

You also haven’t mentioned the DROP YFS members saying racist comments to students in the weeks coming up to this event.

I haven’t seen any report anywhere about this, including on blogs or actual reported articles that have brought up this subject. To be honest, I doubt very much that such comments were made by Drop YFS members and this is merely another way of trying to deflect the actual mismanagement of student government by the YFS members. Drop YFS made a very compelling case about the mismanagement of the strike by the YFS whose first obligation is to the student body, not to the union. Suddenly, accusations of racism appear and lo and behold, Jesse Zimmerman appears on a video claiming that Zionist are racists. Give me a break.

Also, there is no mention of members of DROP YFS surrounding the radio station at York I volunteer at because I interviewed Sid Ryan or that two of them followed my co-host to her car.

Did they surround you with a mob shouting “anti-Semite leave campus?” Your behavior isn’t justified and that’s what you’re not getting. You’ve conflated a political issue revolving around Israel and supposed Zionists with a movement to remove a failing student government from their place.

You’ve confused kippah wearers or otherwise identifiable Jews who were not dealing with an Israel issue, with Jews who are Zionists. You took something unrelated and because of their heritage and identifiability attacked them – with a mob there – about Israel and their supposed Zionism. You took Jewish individuals and targeted them as such, not because you had any reason to do so.

If they “surrounded” the radio station because of a political dispute with you, then you can respond to that with a relevant and appropriate response. Attacking Zionism in a mature way might be one way to do this (Zionism isn’t racism, and that’s a simple fact even if people try to score points with this false accusation). If, however, they are part of a group that is seeking to remove a student government, that has nothing to do with the political dispute in which you’re embroiled.

The DROP YFS behaved disgustingly in the run-up to this event. Students were angry at their actions and calling the ‘anti-semitism’ card is what I call ‘deflection’.

Students were upset that they called the YFS on their handling of the strike? So what? They could have gathered 5000 signatures as well. 5000 signatures is pretty incredible, so you have to think there were far more students angry with YFS than students who were angry at Drop YFS.

Why do I need to deflect anything? I don’t know a single student at York University. I don’t know their Hillel or any faculty there. I have gleaned the information above from the various blogs, reports, and videos that were floating around. The story that emerges is fairly clear and it makes you look as if you took students whom you presumed to be Jewish and drove a mob into a shouting frenzy where these Jews and non-Jews were accused of being Zionists and then of racism because of their Zionism. And please stop the pretense that you weren’t targeting Jewish students. You were standing outside Hillel and yelling at them.

The DROP YFS behaved disgustingly in the run-up to this event. Students were angry at their actions and calling the ‘anti-semitism’ card is what I call ‘deflection’.