Jewish Summer Camp Draws Fire After Flying Palestinian Flag
What was meant to be a symbolic goodwill gesture toward visiting Palestinian campers ended up causing major conflict, drawing anger from Jewish families and from outside right-wing groups.
Haaretz reported that Kids4Peace, an Israeli-based program aimed at encouraging Israeli-Palestinian co-existence, took Christian, Jewish and Muslim campers to visit Camp Solomon Schechter in Washington State. Camp directors decided to greet the visitors by flying the Palestinian flag over the camp’s mast, alongside flags of the U.S., Canada, and Israel.
The response, described later by the camp as one of “sadness and anger,” led directors to take down the flag, but that did not end the controversy.
Anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller said the move was “akin to flying the Nazi flag.” The New York City chapter of the New Jewish Defense League added that “our our young Jews are indoctrinated to be self hating Jews.”
On Sunday, the camp issued a statement expressing its “sincere apology” and stating that the camp is “a proud Zionist and pro-Israel camp. We honor the Israeli Army and Israeli people on a daily basis.”
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30