HUJI Initiative Against Academic Boycott

23 June, 2024

  • Israeli academia operates independently of the government and plays a crucial role in promoting critical thinking within Israeli society.

Calls to boycott only serve the interests of extremists who seek to perpetuate a zero-sum game narrative.

Boycotts have the potential to dismantle academia worldwide, obstructing research and development for the betterment of humanity. Instead of fostering empathy, cooperation, and shared humanity, they promote polarization and hostility.

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Protocols for HUJI Faculty and Staff Traveling to Australia

  • Best practices in safeguarding academic rights, freedom of speech, and safety of Israeli academics at Australian conferences - Download

  • Rules of Engagement at academic conferences - Download 

In any situsation please contact Efrat.eilam@vu.edu.au

Useful Information

Declaration of the Hebrew University Senate 05.06.24 - Download 

Mt Scopus lands (English) - Download 

Book review: Prof. Barak Medina on Dr. Maya Wind`s book “Towers of Ivory and Steel”

https://www.hujilawblog.com/single-post/maya-wind-s-towers-of-manipulations

HUJI Initiative against Academic Boycott

HUJI taskforce team members: 

  • Prof. Netta Barak-Corren, Faculty of Law, Head of Committee | פרופ' נטע ברק-קורן (יו"ר)
  • Prof. Tamir Sheafer, Rector | סגן הנשיא לבינלאומיות פרופ' אורון שגריר
  • Prof. Oron Shagrir, VP for International Affairs | פרופ' ברק מדינה
  • Prof. Yossi Gal, VP for Advancement and External Relations | סגן הנשיא לקשרי חוץ ופיתוח משאבים יוסי גל
  • Prof. Barak Medina, Faculty of Law | הרקטור פרופ' תמיר שפר
  • Alma Lessing, Director of International Partnerships, Coordinator | רכזת הצוות גב' אלמה לסינג
  • Mia Winraob, Faculty of Law, Student | סטודנטית בפקולטה למשפטים מיה וינרוב

Following the October 7th terror attack launched by Hamas against Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, we have witnessed an escalation in calls to sever ties with Israeli academia. These calls, targeted at institutions and individuals based solely on their nationality, are wrong both morally and policy-wise.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the flagship of higher education in Israel, has established a taskforce [put a link to the names and positions of the members of the taskforce] that addresses inquiries on these issues and acts to prevent boycott of Israeli scholars and academic institutions.

Policy

We deeply mourn the loss of all innocent life in the current horrific conflict, whether they are Israeli, Palestinian, or citizens of other countries. We share in the sorrow over the tragedy occurring on both sides of the Gaza border. Our response to the horrors of war should not be to end academic collaborations and cut ties among researchers. Israeli scientists and students are among the leading voices who can help elucidate the situation, find solutions, and challenge the conceptions and orthodoxies that led the region to this crisis. Rather than cutting ties, it is imperative to reinforce academic collaborations to ensure that we live up to our shared aspirations to improve the human condition, expand knowledge, and uncover the truth.

We welcome a constructive discussion about the situation, and we particularly welcome initiatives to create and encourage meaningful collaborations with Israeli universities, with the aims of understanding the root causes of the current crisis, and overcoming its challenges. This, not a boycott, is the just and productive course of action under the circumstances. What is needed is greater engagement of intellectuals from around the world with Israelis and Palestinians, a goal that can be achieved by strengthening academic cooperation with Israeli universities.

Additionally, here a few facts that support this position:

  • Israeli academia excels in research, ranking internationally in the top 5 per capita and around the top 15 in absolute terms. This success is primarily due to its independence from the government. Researchers make their own decisions on what to study and how to do so.
  • Israeli universities operate autonomously in all academic matters, from admission policies to pedagogical decisions. The universities foster free research and discourse, and scholars and students, as well as university administrations, are often harshly critical of governmental policies. During Israel’s constitutional crisis that preceded the war, faculty and students successfully protested against the government’s plan for judicial overhaul. Scholars and students are also currently engaging academically and publicly with the challenges relating to the war.
  • Israeli universities are actively and extensively engaged in projects aiming to promote equality between Jews and Arab-Palestinians. About 18% of the students at the Israeli universities are Arab-Palestinians, close to their proportion in Israeli society. This reality is the result of extensive efforts and reflects an institutional commitment to equality, given that higher education is a vehicle for social mobility.
  • University campuses serve as places of open and constructive dialogue among all factions of Israeli society, primarily between Jews and Arabs. The universities are fully committed to providing extensive protection of academic freedom and freedom of speech for faculty and students.

Academic Publications on why it is wrong to boycott Israeli academia

  1. The Ethics of Academic Boycott, Avner de Shalit.
  2. Is it Justified to Boycott Israeli Academia? 
  3. Maya Wind's Towers of Manipulations.
  4. Hamas’ Lawfare: The Plot of Accusing Israel in Genocide.
  5. The unspoken purpose of the academic boycott, Kramer, M. (2021). The unspoken purpose of the academic boycott. Israel Affairs, 27(1), 27–33.

Statement Opposing Boycott of Israeli Academics:

https://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2024/05/statement-opposing-boycott-of-israeli-academics.html 

Materials on the Hebrew University

  1. media kit
  2. דף לשכת הרקטור
  3. Tamir Sheafer– why it is morally wrong to boycott the Hebrew university of Jerusalem?
  4. Haaretz article – Tamir Sheafer
  5. Israel's Beleaguered Academics Are Fighting the Boycott - Despite the Government
  6. Raphael Cohen-Almagor -  Academic freedom and the anti-Israeli BDS movement

 

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