A Rutgers University senior got to talk to President Bush, who recognized her efforts to fix the vehemently anti-Israel (and sometimes anti-Semitic) atmosphere at Rutgers.
Because of her work at Rutgers, including establishing a dormitory where Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Christian students live with and learn about one another, Josephs was invited to be one four students among 14 “Jewish leaders in higher education” meeting with Bush before the White House Hanukkah party.
[…] The Middle East Coexistence House, which opened this fall at Douglass College, is the culmination of Josephs’ impact on a New Brunswick campus that was experiencing bitter anti-Israeli and anti-Palestinian demonstrations before she arrived in 2003, said political scientist Gordon Schochet, her adviser.
“The situation was very tense. You had a strong anti-Israeli presence on the left, left-wing faculty members who were hostile to things Israel had done and hostile to pro-Israel activities by Hillel,” Schochet said.
He said Josephs joined Hillel, a campus Jewish organization, and on the way to becoming its president, she “lowered the tone of discussion remarkably” by reaching out to Muslim student groups to start a dialogue.
The effort is only in its infancy, but I salute Danielle for trying. And I got a kick out of this, where Danielle discovers that W. is not the moron the left makes him out to be:
Josephs is an affirmed Democrat, and even volunteers at Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone’s New Brunswick office, but she was diplomatic in describing the president after meeting him.
“You can agree or disagree with the president on issues, but you have to fundamentally respect that he has such a strong moral conviction,” she said.
“Especially living on the East Coast, I don’t think we give the president enough credit for what he does. It’s a tough job. In speaking with him, he was so intellectual and so articulate. A lot of people, especially where I live, don’t give him credit for that.”
Note that the author calls her “diplomatic” for not calling W. a moron. I would call her, well, honest.