New book "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew" tackles antisemitism amid pro-Palestine protests across United States
PENN VALLEY, Pa. (CBS) — Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho and Israeli actress Noa Tishby were in Montgomery County on Wednesday to promote their new book, "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew." The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia hosted a book launch at the Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley.
"The book is urgent," Acho said. "It's timely, but more than anything, it will help bridge love and society where it's needed."
Before the Oct. 7 terrorist Hamas-led attack on Israel, Acho recognized the need to address rising antisemitism.
"We started working on the book years before Oct. 7 and before what's happening right now on campuses," Tishby said, "so it is so timely right now."
Some say Pro-Palestine encampments on college campuses across the country are amplifying antisemitic voices while creating unsafe environments for many Jewish students.
On the University of Pennsylvania's campus, a relatively smaller tent city is located on College Green. Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters are demanding the university divest from Israel.
"Yesterday there was a PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) flag flying on College Green, which is a (U.S. Department of State) USDS designated terrorist organization," Penn junior Joe Hochberg said. "There are professional agitators on Penn's campus right now joined in hand with some handful of Penn students who have created an unsafe environment for Jewish students."
Penn officials notified those in the encampment that they were violating both university and city trespassing codes. On Tuesday, the university announced they have opened several student disciplinary cases.
Hochberg said he and fellow students have had to endure antisemitic threats.
"For Jewish students especially, these chants are genocidal in nature," Hochberg said. "There have been chants in favor saying, 'We are proud of the Al-Qassam Brigades,' which is the military wing of Hamas. Penn's administration needs to, first and foremost, clear this encampment and second of all, where necessary, discipline students who actively engaged in creating this unsafe environment."
With "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew," Tishby and Acho aim to educate and empower readers to recognize and address bigotry, emphasizing that hatred against one is a threat to all.
"The world, we want to be empathetic, but you can't be empathetic if you're not educated," Acho said. "Sit down and have a conversation with somebody who doesn't look like you, doesn't believe what you believe, doesn't subscribe or doesn't submit to the same God that you submit to and diversity your life."
Tishby said those protesting in the encampments are misguided and rehashing a violent history.
"They think they are doing the right thing. They think that they are actually changing the world," Tishby said, "but what they're doing is rehashing jihadi Islamist rhetoric on college campuses. If you are rehashing slogans that are violent and intifada, you chanting intifada as if it's a positive thing and if you're supportive of the Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran, there might be a problem with your movement."
