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By: Daniel Cohen

Ishmael Khaldi, Israel's first Bedouin deputy consul and first high ranking Muslim in the Israeli foreign service, is continuing a Midwest tour that has already stopped at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan.  Khaldi will head to Purdue University on Friday.  So far, the tour has generated significant interest - and a fair bit of controversy - from both students and community members.

At Madison on Monday, Oct. 17, Binyan student Natanya Russek along with MADPAC leaders hosted Khaldi at their Hillel.  The event was co-sponsored by the Muslim Students Association, which was brought together through Khaldi's themes of diversity and tolerance.  The room was packed full of over 80 students and a few community members.  Unfortunately, the several community members monopolized the question and answer time by aggressively questioning Khaldi about Israel, so the students were not heard until they gathered to have smaller conversations after the event ended.  Nevertheless, the students who attended were generally impressed with Khaldi.

A week later, Hasbara Fellow Ally Berman and other student leaders at the University of Michigan hosted Ishmael Khaldi on Monday, Oct. 24, an event co-sponsored by Hasbara Fellowships and CAMERA.  Similar to Madison, the room was packed, but this time the event was subject to a silent protest and walk-out by anti-Israel students.  Nevertheless, Khaldi was then able to give his presentation uninterrupted.  Students were impressed by his diverse range of experiences both living in Israel and serving as the first Bedouin deputy consul.

The Khaldi train will keep rolling this Friday at Purdue University in an event co-sponsored by Hasbara Fellowships, Purdue Hillel, Israel Council at Purdue, the Zionist Organization of America, and the College Republicans.