Dear faculty members,
As we all know, since the beginning of the war on October 7th, we have witnessed attempts to boycott Israeli Academia, the Hebrew University, and even individual researchers. The calls for boycotts are not a new phenomenon and have been promoted for years by the BDS movement. A prominent feature of the BDS is the combination of truths, half-truths, and complete lies to boycott Israeli academia. Unfortunately, these calls have gained momentum in recent weeks and encompass various fields of knowledge, target new audiences, and are directed against many research and teaching activities including student exchange programs, etc. Here, too, we are witnessing the same combination of unfortunate truths with misinformation. Anti-Israel organizations are turning to institutions around the world to sever ties/collaborations with the Hebrew University, and with universities in Israel in general. We see a stronger tendency of researchers abroad to refuse to judge research and promotion proposals that come from Israel. We received various reports about the cancellation of lectures by various researchers at conferences and seminars around the world. The extent of the phenomenon is still unclear, and we are collecting data from various sources; . For example, we check the percentages of refusal to judge cases for promotion in various fields in the last fifteen years. The task of collecting data is not an easy one, as some institutions and researchers do not explicitly state that they are boycotting Israel, and others, although not actually boycotting, prefer to avoid at this stage contacts with the universities and even with researchers in Israel.
In our view, it goes without saying that boycotting academic and cultural activities on a political basis must be strongly opposed. This is fundamentally wrong and even paradoxical given the nature of the academic and cultural activities that encourage diversity, inclusion, and are intended for the economic and cultural well-being of the entire human race. And yet, activities against the boycott take place in Israel and around the world by various organizations and through voluntary groups of faculty members.
At the Hebrew University, we established a team that handles responses to various boycott initiatives. The team is headed by Prof. Neta Barak-Corren (Faculty of Law) and with her the Rector, Prof. Tamir Sheafer, the Vice-President for International Affairs, Prof. Oron Shagrir, and former Rector, Prof. Barak Medina. We consult frequently with additional members of management, faculty members from various fields, and if necessary, with our Office of the General Counsel and our Marketing and Communications Office at the Hebrew University. So far, we have issued a number of response letters to various institutions that decided to boycott us (although none of these institutions have active ties with the Hebrew University), explanatory letters to institutions that are considering severing existing ties with us (and in at least three cases the same institutions decided to continue maintaining ties), thank-you letters to the administrations of universities that refused to respond to calls for a boycott, letters of response to researchers who informed us that they would boycott us, counseling for faculty members and students who face various types of
boycotts, counseling in responses to media sources from Israel and the world, and more. In all these letters we emphasize the inherent contradiction between the boycott action and the goals of academia, and the fact that our university promotes many activities related to diversity, is an academic home for different populations, including Arabs and Palestinians, and allows freedom of expression, including demonstrations within the campus.
Beyond activity at the university level, the Committee of University Heads is consolidating the team that will formulate a broader strategy to deal with boycotts at the inter-institutional level, will determine courses of action for branding Israeli academia in the world, and will promote outlines for proactive activity at the media and legal levels, and for connecting with international players in Israel and especially abroad who are already working against boycotting in Israel. The team will include faculty members and other experts and will begin its activities soon.
If a boycott has been directed at you in any way, if you are exposed to a case of a boycott that you think we should know about, or if you need advice on the matter, we will be happy to help, and in any case please let us know as we want to document the extent of the phenomenon in as much detail as possible. Please write to Alma Lessing: almal@savion.huji.ac.il.
Best regards,
Asher & Tamir