Yesterday, we focused on education through comedy. During the day, students set up another display on library walk featuring Jewish and Israeli comedians, a hummus taste testing station, and (get this,) a chance to pie one of our students.

Now, I was very skeptical about hosting an opportunity to “pie a Zionist.” I could see all the things that could go wrong. But we trust our students. And they were right. Random UCSD students came up to the booth, took a plate of shaving cream, and popped it in someone’s face– apparently, as our students correctly insisted, this is a part of campus culture and students LOVE it– both those tossing the pie and those getting a pie to the face. It was never done with malice. 

But here is where the magic happened. We had random students come up to the booth, participate in the silly activity and then ask questions. Here’s a snippet from a conversation I overheard. 

Tritons for Israel Leader: Hey, want to put a pie in my face? 

Random student: (laughing) Sure, but what even is a Zionist?

Tritons for Israel Leader: To me, it means the Jewish right to self-determination in my ancestral homeland of Israel. 

Random student: (taking pause) Oh wow, I never knew that. 

(They proceeded to talk for five more minutes about our TFI student’s connection to Israel and why it is important to the Jewish community)

And this is where the art of advocacy comes into play. Our students created an easy and safe way to engage in dialogue that didn’t center on conflict but rather on bringing people together. 

This strategy continued into the evening, when, thanks to the Jules and Gwen Knapp Family and other sponsors, we hosted the famous Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder. 700 people came for a free comedy night… and let me tell you, he was very funny. I think everyone left with their cheeks hurting from smiling and laughing so much. 

Yohay shared jokes that educated the audience about how the Jews returning to Israel is, in fact, decolonization. He told jokes that educated the audience about antisemitism. He told jokes that made people laugh but also think. 

At one point, he said, “That’s going to be the true revenge. That we survive and can laugh about it. We can have joy. We can laugh harder. That’s how we survive.” It was a very powerful moment. 

Today, we are focusing more deeply on the conflict. Our work on Library Walk will include a large “Western Wall of Wisdom” with facts about Israel. Our students have been trained in how to participate in civil debate and how to ensure their message is heard. 

Tonight, thanks again to the Jules and Gwen Knapp Family and other sponsors, we will host Yossi Klein Halevi as a partner of the UCSD Jewish Studies Program’s Annual Katzin Lecture. While this program will be much smaller, it will be incredibly powerful as it will begin to unpack the current state of Israel and the impact on college campuses. We strongly recommend you join us for this important lecture. You can still register here and we hope to see you tonight!

Thanks for being a part of this with us!