In this article, Ira Rivkin raises an interesting question. The New York Times wants us to see the story of the friendship of two Princeton undergrads–a Palestinian and a Jew–as a big deal, worthy of a news item. But, Rivkin points out, doesn’t that just perpetuate the stereotype of emnity the story purports to challenge? What is the role of the “feel good” story in tracking Muslim-Jewish relations? What do you think?
I seriously disagree with the premise that this particular friendship is a cliche. Most American Jews, of which I am a part, have very few Muslim acquaintances. I don’t feel that this is by deliberate choice but because of where the majority live and work. It is this particular group, especially those who might be above the age of 40, that need to be reminded from time to time that relationships such as the one between these two Princeton basketball players, do exist and do prosper. Perhaps if we, as American Jews, had been in positions when younger to cultivate such friendships the deep divides between the two peoples that spills over everywhere might not be as acute as it now is. So a reminder from time to time in the newspaper or in the media about such friendships can only be a positive and certainly not a cliche.
It may be that these kinds of pieces perpetuate dangerous stereotypes – at the very least I think the NY Times article is insignificant and muddled. The young Palestinian woman is the daughter of West Bank refugees while the young Jewish woman seems to be an middle class Jew with little identification with Israel or the conflict (which she describes as “that political stuff.”) What exactly is the point here?