Just a word of thanks to Legal Insurrection readers.
The pushback against the anti-Israel academic boycott is gaining momentum. An increasing number of universities and University Presidents are stating their positions against the boycott. Not a single university or major academic group has come out for the boycott.
While this pushback would have happened over time, you helped speed it up significantly.
Your emails, many of which you have shared with me, pushed institutions to come out quickly, before they all left for Christmas and New Year’s vacations. The responses you received demonstrated that they heard you.
Many, if not most, of my “scoops” were a result of information resulting from your interactions with university officials.
I’m proud that the emails you forwarded to me were respectful yet firmly principled. We need to keep it that way.
Where is this going?
I still expect to be able to file my challenge to the 501(c)(3) status of ASA based on its coercive boycott and other actions by the end of the year, although this week did sap a lot of my time.
Major organizations are following our lead and organizing — but they did not move as swiftly as you did. I expect a period of quiet (but not for us) due to the holidays before there are major initiatives after the first of the year.
It will be a long struggle to contain a movement which has been planning their assault on Israel and academic freedom for several years.
Those who say we should just ignore it, that it’s just a bunch of kooky professors, have it wrong. They are very organized, well-funded, and part of a global movement to delegitimize Israel. There are other organizations which are subject to their machinations about which you will be hearing soon.
That’s why it’s not just about ASA or the two other smaller groups that joined the academic boycott.
It’s time for our civil society to be heard that we will not tolerate the academic boycott of Israel.
It stops here.
Some Related Prior Posts:
- Reader crowdsourcing project to fight American Studies Assoc anti-Israel boycott
- Willamette rejects Israel boycott, denies being Institutional Member of American Studies Assoc (Hamilton and Northwestern also deny membership)
- Association of American Universities rejects Israel boycott
- Boston U. President rejects Israel academic boycott
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Comments
You’re doing phenomenal work, William. I’ve been linking you like a mofo, for example, ‘The Left Against Zion’.
Keep it up!
“All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to remain silent”….
Pushback is productive, fun, and very good exercise.
The problem here is that those leading the charge have Germanic – Jewish names. Normal people probably think it all sounds a bit nazi ish but they also suspect they are Jewish .
It is a problem bigger than you think.
[…] Le*gal In*sur*rec*tion: Thanks to Legal Insurrection readers for leading fight against Israel boycott […]
I had written to Dr. Sabine Haenni, the head of the Cornell American studies department, last week. (Wrote comments about my email and her response under various LI columns at the time). Just wanted to note that she kindly wrote to me again to update that David Skorton, the president of Cornell, has announced opposition to the boycott. I was extremely impressed that she made the effort to update me several days later.
Nice reporting and comment on this issue. I have not heard about Legal Insurrection before, and while your politics are not precisely in line with mine, on the issue of the ASA boycott I think you are right on. I’m following your blog with interest. Congratulation for this truly important work in favor of academic freedom — and basic sanity!