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May 23, 2013 /14 Sivan, 5773
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African-American Student Starts Pro-Israel Group in New Orleans

The research she did for her paper alarmed her, and Valdary resolved to do what she could to fight Jew-hatred.

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Chloé Simone Valdary

Chloé Simone Valdary, president of Allies of Israel, University of New Orleans
Photo Credit: Lauren Clarice Cross

There hasn’t been a lot of good news recently for pro-Israel watchers of campus culture, but in the unlikeliest of places, by the unlikeliest of Zionists, there is finally good news to share.

The University of New Orleans has nearly 13,000 undergraduate students, fewer than 100 of whom are Jewish.  There are no Jewish studies courses, there are no Jewish services available and there is no kosher food available on campus.  But what UNO does have is Chloe’ Simone Valdary.

Valdary, a sophomore, majors in international relations.  Her particular interests are history, religion, philosophy, politics and current events.  Although she is Christian, Valdary decided to write a major paper her freshman year on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The research she did for her paper alarmed her, and Valdary resolved to do what she could to fight Jew-hatred.  She created an organization on Campus, “Allies of Israel.”  There are currently only nine members of the group, but the membership is likely to soar soon.  Their first major event will be held on January 28.

For their kickoff event Valdary chose to aim high.  She contacted Dr. Daniel Pipes, the executive director of the Middle East Forum, and one of the best known and respected authorities on the Middle East and radical Islam.  To the delight of the Allies, Pipes agreed to be the keynote speaker at their upcoming Declare Your Freedom event, which she describes as a “pro-Israel, pro-America event.”

The goal of this project, Valdary told The Jewish Press, is to publicly express a pro-Israel position, but also to talk about how to combat anti-Semitism in innovative ways.  She has a number of ideas she is already working on which she believes will have a real impact on the widespread hatred of which she only recently became aware.

In an announcement for the January 28 event, Chloe wrote:

In ‘The Town Beyond the Wall,’ author Elie Wiesel writes, “…to be indifferent, for whatever reason, is to deny not only the validity of existence, but also its beauty. Betray, and you are a man; torture your neighbor, you’re still a man. Evil is human, weakness is human; indifference is not.” I was moved by these words when I first read them during my freshman year in college. It was this writing along with the Scriptures and other sources that inspire me to try to inhibit this great injustice, Jew hatred, if you haven’t guessed it, that is permeating the globe.

Pipes will talk about the threats Israel faces which non-Israelis and non-public officials can act against.  Such as, Valdary said, “the delegitimization of the state as made evident through such campaigns as BDS.”

There is no formal Jewish organization such as Hillel at the University of New Orleans, but the Allies of Israel has a faculty advisor and several area rabbis and Chabad leaders have become involved with the group, which was formed with aid provided by CAMERA’s Campus Activist Project (CCAP).  CAMERA is the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.

***

Not only is Valdary an unlikely Zionist activist because she is not Jewish, she is also African American.

So how did a nice non-Jewish New Orleans girl like her become focused on the Jewish world?  Valdary said it happened because she read – and loved – the Leon Uris book “Exodus,” the summer before she started college.  That book inspired her to write the in-depth research paper on the Arab-Israeli conflict in her spring semester.  As she tells it, the research opened her eyes and she became increasingly intrigued “by the level of anti-Semitism that facilitates the conflict.” She then decided

to explore the conflict in the context of the constructivist paradigm of international relations which looks at norms and ideas and value systems.  It was through this research that I really began to discover how much anti-Semitism permeates the Middle East, and it really began to terrify me because many people are unaware of this phenomenon.  It is a distant one that doesn’t much affect us here in the USA and that distance often dissuades people from getting involved.

Okay, but how is it that this non-Jewish, non-white young woman found the question of hatred against Jews so compelling?

Her answer sounds like something that should come from a much, much older person.  But older doesn’t always mean wiser, and this 19-year-old has much to teach her elders.

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About the Author: Lori Lowenthal Marcus is the US correspondent for The Jewish Press. She is a recovered lawyer who previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools.


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No Responses to “African-American Student Starts Pro-Israel Group in New Orleans”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Thank you so much to people like Chloe’ Simone Valdary. You give Jews like myself a reason to hope.

  2. Arie Rosenrauch says:

    I have to wonder how long before the members of the Church of the Holy Democrat start calling them "Uncle Toms," "bought and paid for by the Rotschilds," "racists," and "illiterate?"

  3. With much admiration and thanks, I want to acknowledge Chloe for the support that she is giving us.
    But most amazing is her courage and determination.
    Many well informed and dedicated Jewish students often shy away from the lonely, unpopular role of defending Israel and the Jewish people in a public forum.
    May she reap only blessings for her outspoken honesty and her courageous integrity.
    Thank you Chloe.

    • Thank you sir! If you or anyone you know would like to help with our campaign to end anti-Semitism, you can find out more here:http://jewcer.com/project/once-and-for-all

    • i am a nigerian and i have now started to support israel lately for many reasons. i used to be a critic on israel thanks to the media and the radical leftists. but when i digged through the arab-israeli conflict i found out that this so-called palestinian cause is a fake and only used to support radical islamic agenda. i for one will always support israel's democracy and its identity right to exist. sadly the world influenced by the aggressive political left have made blinded the whole world to view israel as the "bad guy" and the arabs as "the victims" even as far as to view the conflict as the biggest problem wheras the biggest problem (even a human being with a half brain will realise) in the middle east is something called radical islam (militant, or political in the sense).
      chloe i want you to ask this 2 questions to pro-palestinians: a) if israel ceased to exist will it bring peace and normalcy to the region as some religious sects in the middle east are killing themselves because some god? b) now that the palestinians are fighting for a state, why where they not fighting for it when they where under the jordanian rule before 1948? i guarantee you that they will not even speak further except to call you names.

    • Chloé Simone Valdary Didn't see your name here. Might as well post this here:

      I'm wondering if she read The Haj, also by Leon Uris and does a GREAT job of laying out the so-called "right of return" issue, which this whole bruhaha is about. Also Michener wrote a Readers Digest article praising Mohammed, (Why I don't' know.), but everybody should read his book The Source. He also deals a little bit with the right of return and does a good job of it. Too bad it didn't turn out in the positive way that he'd hoped. (Thank you Arafat.)

      Here's a few posers related to the "right of return":

      What year did the nation of Palestine come into existance?
      What were its national borders and what year did it cease to exist?
      What currency did the nation of Palestine use and why is there no history of it?
      Name one leader to the “nation of Palestine” prior to Yasser Arafat.

      SHORT LIST (See Full list “THE Books” Facebook p…age).
      The Haj by Leon Uris.
      The Source by James Michener.
      Muslim Mafia by Gaubatz and Sperry.
      Because They Hate by Brigitte Gabriel.
      “Slavery, Terrorism and Islam” and “Holocaust in Rwanda” by Peter Hammond.
      The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America by David Horowitz.
      Ivory Towers On Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America by Martin Kramer.
      The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom
      The Legacy of Jihad by Andrew G. Bostom MD
      A Concise History of the Crusades by Thomas F. Madden
      The Book of Jewish Knowledge by Nathan Ausubel
      The New Moody Atlas of the Bible by Barry J. Beitzel

    • Carola Hume says:

      hi larry those 4 questions you posed are great. hope you don't mind but i'm going to use them whenever someone talks to me about the about the palestinian nation.

  4. Herman Rosen says:

    SHE IS ALSO A KNOCKOUT…GET HER A NICE JEWISH BOY.

  5. Thank you so much. It is a "pay it forward" moment as we Jews did so much to alleviate the discrimination during the Civil Rights movement. May we always work together to help each other.

  6. Good job Chloe; probably your efforts will somehow compensate for the African Americans in the US – especially in prisons – converting to Islam; and becoming automatically anti-Israel.

  7. Good job Chloe; probably your efforts will somehow compensate for the African Americans in the US – especially in prisons – converting to Islam; and becoming automatically anti-Israel.

  8. Tim Upham says:

    Thank goodness this student was not poisoned by the extremism of Louis Farrakhan. Because she is following more the dream of Martin Luther King.

  9. As a Jew, , I am profoundly grateful for all righteous gentiles but special thanks to.
    Chloe who is standing for what is right. Good news and special people are too rare.

  10. Ellen Copeland Buchine says:

    Tremendous! I applaud you, Chloe.There is power in numbers; you may wish to align yourself with CUFI (Christians United for Israel) rather than re-inventing the wheel. Perhaps they will allow you to use their media/brochures, etc for your event. Kol Tov!

  11. Ellie Gaines says:

    Miss Valdary, you give us hope, Thank You for your efforts.

  12. Johnny Mortel says:

    Am all for Israel. I'm an Asian and I see this cause .

    • Stephen Tannenbaum says:

      To both you and Ms. Valdary, I want to say a special thank you for not bowing to the popular pressure to condemn Israel and the Jews. When it would be so easy to join the crowd, people like you two take the time and trouble to discover the truth and, even more importantly, to stand up for it. THANK YOU!

  13. Ify Okafor says:

    Didn't Netanyahu say that Africans were threatening the Jewish state and wanted to boot them from Israel though? Didn't another politician in the same party call Blacks a "cancer?" I wonder how this young lady feels about that.

    • Kesha Warren says:

      Chloe probably thinks that Israeli hypocrisy and racism would not apply to her as she is an American. Let me be the first to state that it would.

    • Ify Okafor says:

      They treat their own Ethiopian Jews unfairly. If she wasn't "pro-Israel" their society wouldn't see her anything more than a N*****.

    • Kesha Warren says:

      Ify Okafor Indeed. Just read some of the comments here. The poor girl probably has an identity crisis. You live in one of the most violent cities in America, and you're worried about protecting one of the most violent countries in the world. #MessedUpPriorities.

    • Anastasia Klein says:

      Ify Okafor you are also a piece of ignorant shit…."they" give the Ehiopians job training. You are confusing illegals with Ethiopian Jews. now you are the spade, Jade, you evade the truth….you ain't no Ruth…so shut your piehole too…..what a bunch of NAZIS here…you make me sick…Ify..what a great name…IFFY…..you rotten excuse for a human.

    • Barry Goldkind says:

      Chloe would turn the other cheek at you two, she did her investigation and found that the lies you two spew are just that, lies. She also knows that Africans are being murdered by butchery, burning and crucifixion by the Islamists and that it is Israel that has been bringing many Africans to freedom and safety.

  14. Anonymous says:

    give me 10 Chloes and we can hold off 100 Peter Beinarts and the other miscreant anti israel trash.

  15. I'm wondering if she read The Haj, also by Leon Uris and does a GREAT job of laying out the so-called "right of return" issue, which this whole bruhaha is about. Also Michener wrote a Readers Digest article praising Mohammed, (Why I don't' know.), but everybody should read his book The Source. He also deals a little bit with the right of return and does a good job of it. Too bad it didn't turn out in the positive way that he'd hoped. (Thank you Arafat.)

    Here's a few posers related to the "right of return":

    What year did the nation of Palestine come into existance?
    What were its national borders and what year did it cease to exist?
    What currency did the nation of Palestine use and why is there no history of it?
    Name one leader to the “nation of Palestine” prior to Yasser Arafat.

    SHORT LIST (See Full list “THE Books” Facebook page).
    The Haj by Leon Uris.
    The Source by James Michener.
    Muslim Mafia by Gaubatz and Sperry.
    Because They Hate by Brigitte Gabriel.
    “Slavery, Terrorism and Islam” and “Holocaust in Rwanda” by Peter Hammond.
    The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America by David Horowitz.
    Ivory Towers On Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America by Martin Kramer.
    The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom
    The Legacy of Jihad by Andrew G. Bostom MD
    A Concise History of the Crusades by Thomas F. Madden
    The Book of Jewish Knowledge by Nathan Ausubel.

  16. Watch: Watch how much crap she's going to get from CAIR and the MSA and the dhimmi idiots connected to them.

  17. Anonymous says:

    "May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

  18. One person can make a difference.

  19. Heather Cole says:

    Wow! Great job Chloe! Thank you!

  20. Shelley Luke Powell says:

    Super neat action !

  21. Coy Kehoe says:

    zionism is nothing more than communism… kind of cute shwanika holding up that disgusting flag though.

  22. Grace Acosta says:

    Chloe, please ignore the trolls in the comments. You know the truth, just keep to the path and don't let the haters get you down! Just as a few violent Blacks don't make all Blacks violent, a few racist, stupid, foolish commenters doesn't mean that all Jews think like this. Every barrel has it's bad apples.

  23. "Thou shall not follow a corrupt multitude".

  24. Keith James says:

    Chloe, go live in the setlements and report back…Dr.King would be so disappointed in you!

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