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...the power and broad interpretive style of a Bette Midler or Barbra Streisand... Sandy Cash has a very special gift, that more than a singer, she is an excellent storyteller. |
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January 22nd, '03 I just sent the following letter to June Massel, Vice President for Communications and External Affairs of Columbia University (massell@columbia.edu). I'm sharing it on my site, because I would like to see the University get more letters like this. My letter is in response to a poster for a Palestinian film festival that will be held at the University. Take a close look.
Dear Ms. Massel, I'm sure you are aware that Columbia University's Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Culture is sponsoring a Palestinian film festival, "Dreams of a Nation." I think that's great. You may not be aware, however, that the poster for this festival shows one blood-red country with no indication of a “two-state solution:” Moreover, in Palestinian culture, the doves flying in the foreground are not symbols of peace, but of the souls of "martyrs" ascending to heaven (presumably taking with them as many dead Jews as possible). I find it infuriating that the University is advertising an event through use of a poster that simply obliterates my country. I believe in human rights for the Palestinians; I do not believe that Israel has to be wiped off the map in order to achieve these rights. By allowing the Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Culture to use University funds to issue this poster, Columbia is advocating a world without Israel. These kinds of "Dreams" are not what an American institution of higher learning should be promoting. I believe you may have a major public relations problem on your hands. I, for one, intend to pass this image on to everyone I know. Sincerely, Sandy Cash |
