Aleena Ressas
Staff Writer
Class of 2026
aressas@u.rochester.edu
Israel-Palestine
Conversations that matter: Nora Rubel’s hope of shaping future political discourse on Israel and Palestine
Interpreted by some as an anti-Israel and anti-Zionist series, Rubel emphasized that while the need to support a particular side passionately is understandable, it is crucial to be aware of what you are standing behind by exposing yourself to historical and present knowledge.
Israel-Palestine
Shaul Magid shares how the liberal Zionism consensus tries to prevail
According to Magid, the Zionist consensus, which has dominated Jewish American discourse since its founding in the 1970s, has been undermined in the past year due to American Jews’ reaction to Oct. 7, 2023.
Feminism
Sa’ed Atshan explores the connection between queer liberation and Palestinian national liberation
The talk, held on Monday, Nov. 4, was a place for Atshan to share his book, Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique, and ask how national movements can strike a balance in the liberation efforts of other communities.
Films
Politics intertwined with art: Israeli filmmaker Barak Heymann explains his work
“For me, if you are against racism, then you are against racism, any [...] racism,” Heymann said. “That was when I decided that I must make this film.”
ai
Posters mocking Gaza’s destruction distributed throughout the Eastman School of Music’s Student Living Center
AI-generated posters depicting a Lego set of war-torn Gaza — meant to mock the destruction of the territory amidst the ongoing war — were first seen in the Eastman School of Music’s Living Center (SLC) on Oct. 8.
2024 election
The Green Party are grifters
Instead of recruiting and running on a local level, where elections can be won, they insist on only aiming for the biggest prize every time.
Hillel
Where do we go from here? Hillel hosts Dennis Ross and Ghaith al-Omari to discuss Israel and Palestine
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, a year and a day after the start of the war in Gaza, Hillel hosted Ambassador Dennis Ross and Negotiator Gaith al-Omari, to discuss the past, present, and future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
2024 election
ROCTalks holds election policy debate
With Election Day around the corner, the College Democrats and College Republicans met to discuss three federal topics in a debate hosted by ROCTalks on Oct. 23: housing affordability, climate legislation, and ranked-choice voting.
Gaza
Rochester commemorates one year of war in Gaza, partaking in the global call to action
A collective life of culture and resilience, among other things, have been targeted and profoundly affected.
Album Review
David Gilmour does it once again with his orgasmic playing
Since I had not been particularly fond of Gilmour’s work outside of Floyd, I was originally unsure how much I would appreciate it.