One of the most alluring part of attending University was that I would be exposed to a spectrum of various political, ideological and religious beliefs. Often I see people handing out various fliers, or promoting certain causes and you have to respect them for their passion. But last night, I received a flier from a man at the arch titled “Oppose tonight’s program with Israeli war hawk Gil Hoffman.” This little handout made egregious and apocryphal claims about the current political situation in Israel.

Even though the political arguments were poorly supported, what irked me most was the way the flier dismissed the very core of the Jewish religion. The flier called a religious tenet, found explicitly in the Jewish bible, a “myth.” It’s extremely offensive for someone to simply write off the code of law that dictates what food I eat, what I do on Saturdays and how I should act. The man or woman who wrote this flier can believe whatever he or she wants, but he or she should be careful not to oversimplify the situation.

Think about those who you are offending before you distribute flyers because words can hurt.

– Brian Lasman

Daily Northwestern Reporter