Academics against Academic freedom

 23,000 students from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds attend Hebrew University, one of the crown jewels of Israel's higher educational system.  4,600 Arab students are enrolled, along with 1,200 students from over 50 countries.   Hebrew University  is one of the highest ranked universities in the world, and is ranked first in academic excellence by Israel’s Council for Higher Education. Eight Nobel Prize winners are Hebrew University graduates or researchers.

Twenty percent of the student body at Hebrew University is Arab. They do not boycott this academic powerhouse. Yet, this group of academics, disgraced math professors , graduate students,  anti-Israel activists and "independent researchers"  have signed a petition asking people to boycott the June 2014 ‘International Conference on Oral History’ organized by the Oral History Division of the Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University. Call them the "Academics against Academic freedom"

Academic boycotts are anathema to the free exchange of ideas that characterize a democracy.  The American Association of University Professors, as an organization, stands in opposition to academic boycotts as a matter of principle in keeping with their long-standing commitment to the free exchange of ideas, urging that academics seek alternative means, less inimical to the principle of academic freedom, to pursue their concerns.

 The AAUP especially oppose selective academic boycotts that entail an ideological litmus tests, refusing to endorse the use of political or religious views as a test of eligibility for participation in the academic community.

The undersigned 79 represent a true minority in the academic world, representing those who place a narrow political agenda above the pursuit of liberal ideals and the free exchange of ideas.

1. Professor Ahmed Abbes, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS, Bures-sur-Yvette, France

2. Professor Saleh Abdel Jawad (Hamayel), Birzeit University, Palestine

3. Professor Nadia Abu el Haj, Barnard/Columbia University, USA

4. Professor Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University, New York, USA

5. Professor Ghada Ageel, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

6. Professor Ammiel Alcalay, Queens College, City of New York, USA

7. Dr. Diana Allan, Society for the Humanities, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA

8. Professor Lori Allen, University of Cambridge, England

9. Professor Amjad Barham, Hebron University, President of the Palestinian Federation of Unions of     University Professors and Employees, Palestine

10. Ryvka Barnard, Doctoral student, New York University, USA

11. Dr. Samia al-Botmeh, Birzeit University, Palestine

12. Professor Oren Ben-Dor, Southampton University, England

13. Professor Hagit Borer, Queen Mary, University of London, England

14. Dr Robert Boyce, London School of Economics and Political Science, London University, UK

15. Professor Haim Bresheeth, SOAS, University of London, England

16. Professor Michael Chanan, University of Roehampton, England

17. Professor Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, New York, USA

18. Professor Lawrence Davidson, West Chester University, USA

19. Professor (emerita) Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun, Université Paris, France

20. Professor Ann Douglas, Columbia University, New York, USA

21. Professor Haidar Eid, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza, Palestine

22. Professor Randa Farah, University of Western Ontario, Canada

23. Professor (emeritus), Emmanuel Farjoun, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

24. Arie Finkelstein, Student, Université Paris Est, France

25. Senior Scholar Bill Fletcher, Jr., Institute for Policy Studies; former President, TransAfrica Forum,
Washington, DC, USA

26. Professor Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawaii

27. Professor Candace Fujikane, University of Hawai‘i at Ma-noa, Honolulu

28. Dr Terri Ginsberg, ICMES, New York, USA

29. Professor (emerita) Sherna Berger Gluck, California State University, Long Beach, USA

30. Professor (emeritus) Yerach Gover, City University of New York, USA

31. Professor Michel Gros, CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research, Rennes, France

32. Professor (emerita) Sondra Hale, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

33. Professor Salah D. Hassan, Michigan State University, Lansing, USB

34. Professor Sami Hermez, University of Pittsburgh, USA

35. Shir Hever, Independent Economist/Researcher, Palestine-Israel

36. Tineke E. Jansen, Independent researcher, former IOHA Council member, England

37. Professor Rhoda Kanaaneh, Columbia University, New York, USA

38. Dr. Fatma Kassem, Independent researcher, Israel

39. Professor Robin D. Kelley, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

40. Professor Tarif Khalidi, Center for Arab & Middle Eastern Studies, American University,Beirut Lebanon

41. Dr Laleh Khalili, Reader in Politics, SOAS, University of London, England

42. Professor David Klein, California State University, Northridge, USA

43. Professor Dennis Kortheuer, California State University, Long Beach

44. Professor Ronit Lentin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

45. Dr Les Levidow, Open University, UK

46. Professor David Colles Lloyd, University of California, Riverside

47. Professor (emeritus) Moshé Machover, Kings College, University of London, England

48. Professor Nur Masalha, SOAS, University of London, England

49. Professor Joseph Massad, Columbia University, New York, USA

50. Professor William Messing, University of Minnesota, USA

51. Jennifer Mogannam, Ph. D. candidate, University of California, San Diego

52. Professor Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University, New York, USA

53. Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, California State University, San Bernardino, USA

54. Dr Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford, UK

55. Professor Premilla Nadasen, Queens College, City of New York, USA

56. Dr. Dorothy Naor, Independent researcher, Israel

57. Dr Sonia Nimr, Birzeit University, Palestine

58. Professor Isis Nusair, Denison University, Ohio, USA

59. Professor Gary Y. Okihiro, Columbia University, New York, USA

60. Professor Ilan Pappe, Exeter University, England

61. Professor Willie Van Peer, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany

62. Professor Gabriel Piterberg, UCLA, USA

63. Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, London School of Economics, University of London, UK

64. Dr Rosemary Sayigh, Center for Arab and Middle East Studies Centre, American University of Beirut,
Beirut, Lebanon

65. Professor (emeritus) Pierre Schapira, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

66. Professor (Emerita) Evalyn F. Segal, PhD, San Diego State University, USA

67. Professor May Seikaly, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA

68. Professor Sherene Seikaly, American University in Cairo, Egypt

69. Professor Anton Shammas, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

70. Professor Sarah Schulman, ACT UP Oral History Project, New York (USA)

71. Professor Andor Skotnes, Chair, Department of History and Society, The Sage Colleges, Troy, NY, USA

72. Dr Kobi Snitz, Weizmann Institute, Israel

73. Professor Ghada Talhami, Lake Forest College, Illinois, USA

74. Professor Lisa Taraki, Birzeit University, Palestine

75. Sibel Taylor, PhD candidate, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England

76. Dr Salim Vally, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

77. Dr. Patrick Wolfe, Trobe University, Australia

78. Dr Hala Yameni, Bethlehem University, Bethlehem, Palestine

79. Professor Mahmoud Zeidan, University of Cairo, Egypt

Tenth Anniversary of the Bombing of Hebrew University

We remember

Benjamin Blutstein
Marla Bennett
Revital Barashi
David Gritz
David Diego Ladowski
Janis Ruth Coulter
Dina Carter
Levina Shapira
Daphna Spruch

Its 10 years since the barbaric bombing of the Hebrew University cafeteria that took the lives of 9 innocents, and injured nearly 100. Five Americans were murdered, including UC Berkeley's own Marla Bennett. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. (Yes, the same Hamas that was “democratically elected” and now governs Gaza). Yesterday, Hebrew University marked the 10th anniversary of fatal bombing.

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, spoke of the five Americans who were killed “The connections between the American and Israeli people built by Marla, Ben, Janis, David, and Dina, this closeness could not and cannot be taken away. In fact, a decade has passed and the connections we feel for each other are only stronger.”

Hebrew University President Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson said, "A decade has passed since the attack, and it is not only a time to mourn, but also a time to reflect upon the mission entrusted to us. We are entrusted with the development of knowledge that knows no shade of skin or religion. And so we say to the families, we shall endure. If depraved terrorists wish to disrupt the things upon which all human beings base their lives, they will not succeed."


To this day, I'd be willing to venture that more people in Berkeley know the name of Rachel Corrie, than of Marla Bennett. Lets change that. Lets keep the legacy of Marla Bennett alive with a donation to the Marla Bennett Jewish Learning Fellowship at UC Berkeley Hillel.

H/t Oy-bay

As summer unfolds, our thoughts turn to Marla Bennett’s life and untimely death. This July 31st will mark 10 years since Marla died, but we know you’ll agree that her memory lives on in each of us. Marla was a special person who deeply touched the lives of everyone she came in contact with. Knowing her helped shape who each of us is today. For that, and so much more, we are forever grateful.
Marla was a gifted student as well as a natural teacher. This special combination is what made her studies in Israel all the more compelling for her. We are comforted to know that Marla’s desire to learn and to teach continues to be a light in the world through the Marla Bennett Memorial fund established in her honor at Berkeley Hillel. Last year the fund raised more than $10,000 thanks to the incredible generosity of you and others like you. These funds enabled Teddy Ulansey, last year’s Fellow to spend a life-changing summer at Pardes in Israel. If you weren’t able to join us for Teddy’s Day of Learning at Hillel this past spring, we hope you’ll take the time to read her reflections of living in Israel and learning in Marla’s memory.
This summer Ben Brint, the 2012-2013 Marla Bennett Memorial Fund Award recipient, is learning at Pardes and continuing to honor Marla’s memory through study. We are already looking forward to the insights and perspectives he will gain and bring back to us from his time at Pardes at his Day of Learning scheduled for spring ‘13.
Our goal into the future remains the same: each year we hope to send at least one new Marla Bennett Memorial fellow to Israel to study in her memory. We are once again asking for your help to make this dream a reality. If each donor can make a 10% increase we will easily match and exceed the total raised last year, and secure the ability to send a fellow to Israel in the summer of 2013.
You can make a donation in the enclosed envelope, or online by visiting the Berkeley Hillel website at www.berkeleyhillel.org/donate/ and in the comment field write Marla Bennett Fellowship. Please give as generously as you can.
Thank you for your partnership in this meaningful endeavor.
Hila Abel
Alana (Hoffman) Rotter
Josh Miller
Lesley (Said) Matsa
Eileen Shelden

Epilogue:

Walid Anajas, one of the terrorists involved with orchestrating the attack on Hebrew University was one of 1,027 criminals freed by Israel in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit. He was also involved in the 2002 bombings at Jerusalem's Café Moment which killed 11, and the Sheffield Club attack in Rishon Letzion that killed 16