Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren spoke about the correlation between dreams and responsibilities during his keynote address as part of Brandeis' 59th commencement exercises on May 23 in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The graduating Class of 2010 included 803 undergraduate students, 675 of whom received Bachelor of Arts degrees and 128 of whom received Bachelor of Science degrees; additionally, 701 students received master's degrees, and 70 students received doctorates.

"Do not let any obstacles, personal, political or economic, impede you. And once you've fulfilled your dreams, know that is when you're liable to confront the greatest challenges," Oren told the graduates during his speech.

Oren began by recounting his experience as an Israeli paratrooper and analogizing the apprehension he felt in that role with the feelings of the graduating class. He explained that "at such anxious times, it helps to think back and remember the transformative moments in your life . that inspired or motivated you and animated your dreams."

Oren subsequently described how the 1967 Six-Day War served as a transformative moment for him; it inspired him to join the Israeli Defense Forces and work for the Israeli government under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Oren highlighted his personal experiences to articulate the connection between dreams and responsibility, explaining that "transforming your dreams into reality often incurs a cost, especially when those dreams take shape during times of great challenge," saying that as Israeli ambassador he faces frequent criticism from the media and on college campuses.

"Whether as a soldier or an ambassador, I've had the supreme honor that comes with shouldering responsibilities for one's people and for the causes of security and peace," he said.

After depicting his own experience to illustrate how dreams fuel responsibility, Oren described how that axiom pertained to the Jewish nation as a whole, stating that "the connection between realizing dreams and accepting responsibility for them has long been a theme in Jewish history."

To exemplify his point, Oren cited the challenges the biblical figure Moses encountered while leading the Jewish people through the desert in the aftermath of their enslavement. Oren then shifted to modern Jewish history and cited Austrian writer and Zionist Theodore Herzl and Justice Louis Brandeis. Oren stated that Herzl embodied the concept of fulfilling a dream, explaining that when Herzl and other European Jews were encountering anti-Semitism, they did not succumb to the despondency but instead "created the Zionist movement that inspired millions of people-Jews and non-Jews-worldwide."

Oren then spoke about Justice Brandeis, saying that "Brandeis reached for his dreams, and through his dreams he assumed immense responsibilities on the highest court of this land."

After focusing on the creation of the State of Israel, Oren described how the peace process epitomized the relationship between dreams and responsibilities: The fulfillment of a Jewish state entailed a responsibility of ensuring a peaceful regional atmosphere in regard to relations with their neighboring countries.

"We accept the responsibility of seeking peace, and to that end, we've joined with Palestinians who have for so long dreamed of attaining their own independent state of their own and who are now building the institutional groundwork for that state in a truly Brandeisian manner," he said.

Oren concluded by telling that graduates that "the very fact that you are receiving Brandeis degrees today . shows that you indeed have the will and the readiness to accept responsibilities."

He also urged the graduates to complete their dreams, explaining, "It may necessitate a measure of bravery and a leap into the howling darkness, but I urge you to pursue your wildest ambitions."

Prior to Oren's address, University President Jehuda Reinharz spoke to the graduating class about the benefits of a liberal arts education. He explained that in today's fast-paced world, citizens need the skills to respond to unexpected situations and think on their feet, and he said that a Brandeis education provides students with such skills.

Reinharz described a past commencement ceremony in which the keynote speaker asserted that undergraduates should not be honored because they had not yet accomplished anything substantial. He described how the student speaker, in her address immediately following the keynote speech, was able to extemporaneously refute the speakers' argument, and how her ability to do so embodied the benefits of a Brandeis education.

"I believe that after four years at Brandeis, every one of you would be able to do the same. Why? Because you have learned the great lesson of the liberal arts; namely, to think on your feet, to speak effectively and to act appropriately," Reinharz said.

In addition to delivering the keynote address, Oren also received an honorary doctorate from the University. Social activist and physician Paul Farmer, former chief judge of New York Judith Kaye, acclaimed author Antonio Muñoz Molina, special assistant to the president Dennis Ross and renowned singer Paul Simon also received honorary degrees.

Simon performed his hit song "The Boxer" at the conclusion of the ceremony. Reinharz announced that Simon would perform at the ceremony in an Apr. 28 e-mail to the graduating class. To bring about this performance, Amanda Hecker '10 and Michael Weil '10 formed a Facebook group to publicize the students' desire to have Simon sing.

Elliot Handler '10 said that he enjoyed Simon's performance but that he thought it was too short, stating that he "would have loved to hear him sing one or two more."

When asked about Oren's speech, Handler said that he "thought it was pretty interesting."

The selection of Oren to address the graduating Class of 2010, however, had been the cause of recent controversy. Since the University's Apr. 20 announcement that Oren would serve as the keynote speaker, students opposed to his address held protests publicizing their opposition, and students supporting Oren gathered signatures for a letter of support, as reported by the Justice in an Apr. 27 article.

Daniel Orkin '10, who had previously met with Reinharz during Reinharz's office hours to express opposition to Oren's selection, said that while he did not find Oren's speech "explicitly political," it "still had enough tones of Zionism and political undercurrents of Zionism to demonstrate that his speaking was a definitive political gesture by the University."

Outside of the commencement ceremonies, protesters held up signs in opposition to Oren, with statements such as "Oren=apologist for Israeli war crimes."

By the time the graduates and their families exited the building after the ceremony, the protesters were already gone, and no protests took place inside during the ceremony.

There was also a letter slipped into some of the graduation programs stating that "the selection of Michael Oren as Brandeis commencement speaker is both inappropriate and offensive," and claiming that extending an invitation to Oren to serve as the keynote address was a partisan action.

"I am upset that the school is identifying itself so closely with Israeli policies and Israeli positions and I think that [Oren] is essentially a war criminal. It embarrasses me to see the college invite him as their speaker," said Robert Schwartz '66, one of the protesters.

-Harry Shipps and Emily Kraus contributed reporting.