Students outraged over Dylan song at memorial

Some students at Oranim Academic College are infuriated after a student leader reads the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War,” — an anti-war anthem — during the memorial day ceremony.

The lyrics to the song conclude: “And I hope that you die/And your death’ll come soon/I will follow your casket/In the pale afternoon/
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered/Down to your deathbed/And I’ll stand over your grave/Til I’m sure that you’re dead.”

Some students interpreted the gesture as disrespectful to the memories of the fallen soldiers and took to the college’s Facebook page to voice their outrage.

The student union apologizes to those hurt by the move, but defends the decision saying, “The song is a cry against all wars, and is not designed or intended to trample on the feelings of anyone. We believe it’s important to reiterate that to the best of our knowledge, no group in Israeli society has a total and exclusive monopoly on the pain and the memory of the fallen, and that there is more than one way to commemorate.”