Detained Gaza Protester Tells His Story
Jonathan Silverman attended Stony Brook from 2000-2004. The Chabad Lubavitch, with the help of Stony Brook’s Rabbi Adam, organized a trip to the Gaza Strip to protest the forced evacuation of Israelis from the territory during mid-August. Jon, with roughly a dozen other Jewish Americans, flew to Gaza to join the thousands of people who staged non-violent protests against this policy.
Bouklas: What prompted you to fly out to the Gaza strip?
Silverman: Some people from Gushkativ, an area of Gaza, came over to the US and they were asking fellow Jews in America to support them. I was at this meeting and then I decided to go. It’s like if your neighbor runs over to you and says his house is burning, you go and help him. I felt it was my duty, my obligation to go. I knew that if Jewish people would be evacuated from this area, the result would be that the territory would fall into the hands of terrorists, like Hamas. So I went there to try to stop the land from being handed over and to stand in solidarity with my fellow Jews.
Bouklas: When did you arrive in Gaza?
Silverman: August 8, and we were going to stay there as long as it took. It happened that the whole thing was over by August 21 – there was nothing more for us to do but go back to the United States and tell people about it.
Bouklas: What was the climate like in Gaza?
Silverman: It was like Woodstock. People were happy, they were partying – it was a very fun climate up until the withdrawal [which started August 16].
Bouklas: What was your goal?
Silverman: Our goal was to slow down, if not stop, the disengagement process. We formed human chains, we spoke to the police and army, we spoke to a lot of media. We were trying to get the message out that this is a bad idea and would only cause more violence in the region and it would be dangerous for the life of Israel.
Bouklas: How many people were at the demonstrations?
Silverman: My group was around 20 to 25 people. There were lots of people getting in [across the border]. When our story hit the papers, people got inspired and even more people came to us. There were lots of Americans, actually, there. Also there were a lot of Americans there who were not Jewish. The demonstrations were big – it’s difficult to know the exact number when you’re in the middle of it – but there were many people, maybe 50 at the high point.
Bouklas: What are the most striking events that you’ve witnessed?
Silverman: Soldiers crying because they were being forced to do this. I saw kids crying, kids being taken by cops and put on buses. Everybody was at a big synagogue on the last day, on the 21st. There were all these kids waving flags on the top of the synagogue, that was pretty emotional. Those were the most heart wrenching scenes.
Bouklas: What was it like to be a part of such heated protest?
Silverman: I feel I did the right thing by going. I want to tell the world that this is a bad idea and that I was protesting it.
Bouklas: Has this changed you in any way?
Silverman: Yeah. You can’t go back to normal life after this, after you see something happen that is totally crazy. You can’t go back to your regular life. You become part of a bigger ball game, on the international scale. You saw a tragedy happen right before your eyes and you can’t understand why this happened. I still want to be involved – now I’m much more aware of the news. I had dreams about this for a week, I thought I was still there for like a week. People who were on the trip with me that I spoke to were a little traumatized. I’m a better person for doing this trip – I’m a more informed citizen. I’m really glad that I went.
(James Bouklas – Stony Brook Statesma)
