Lawsuit Alleges UC-Berkeley Denied Job to Dance Scholar Because She is Israeli

Lawsuit Alleges UC-Berkeley Denied Job to Dance Scholar Because She is Israeli

It sounds like the administration caved to activist students. So pathetic.

JWeekly reports:

Lawsuit alleges UC Berkeley denied dance scholar a job because she is Israeli

An Israeli scholar of dance and choreography is suing the University of California, alleging she was denied a guest teaching role at UC Berkeley because she is Israeli.

The lawsuit, set to be filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in Alameda County, describes pressure by graduate students in Cal’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies who objected to hosting an Israeli scholar, and what the department chair described as a politically “hot” situation within the department.

Academic boycotts of Israel long predate the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that started the ongoing war and a global surge in antisemitism. Since then, the boycott movement has gained visibility, although activists generally target Israeli institutions rather than individuals. During the wave of encampment protests on college campuses in spring 2024, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists consistently called for boycotts of Israel exchange and study abroad programs. Such demands have mostly been rejected by university leaders — including those in the UC system.

Yael Nativ, the plaintiff, has a bachelor’s from the Sorbonne in Paris, a master’s from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. from Hebrew University, according to her resume. She researches dance through a sociological lens with a focus on Israeli dance, particularly among women and girls.

She hoped to return to Cal during the 2024-2025 academic year after teaching a course there called “Intersectional Perspectives on Contemporary Dance in Israel” in spring 2022. Her position was organized through the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies.

Nativ “was thrilled when HDI invited her to apply for another semester,” the complaint states, referencing the Helen Diller Institute. The lawsuit, which was reviewed by J., states that SanSan Kwan, who now chairs the dance and performance department, shared the institute’s interest in Nativ’s return, and the two spent time together during a trip Kwan took to Israel organized by the institute in March 2023.

Nativ applied in August 2023, the complaint states, with the intention to teach the same course. On Nov. 17, 2023, Kwan informed her she would not be rehired, according to the complaint.

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