If you come across any instances of an academic boycott targeting Israelis (such as academic faculty members, post-doctoral students, or students) or academic institutions in Israel,
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The BDS movement has been active globally for over two decades. The movement operates on multiple fronts, including economic, political, academic, and cultural. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, there has been a significant increase in anti-Israel activities on campuses across the USA, Canada, Australia, and Western and Northern Europe. Students, faculty, and even some university administrators have organized protest camps, marches, roadblocks, and have forcibly prevented Israelis and Jews from entering parts of the campus. Additionally, there have been calls for halting student exchanges with Israel and banning Israeli researchers from submitting proposals to national and international foundations.
These developments compel Israeli universities and the government to evaluate the potential consequences of the BDS movement’s escalated actions. This includes examining the practical, scientific, academic, legal, and economic implications and exploring measures to mitigate their impact. Recognizing the potential harm of an academic boycott on Israel, the Samuel Neaman Institute has established an ad-hoc task force to address the issue under the concept of SCHOLAR SHIELD. This team collaborates with the University Heads’ Committee, relevant government ministries, and other organizations.
Additional resources
Scholar Shield Team Published Articles
- A lack of deep and comprehensive treatment of the academic boycott issue may lead to destructive results | MAARIV, July 2024
Key Organizations, Data & Notable Events
- The MIT-Kalaniyot program is a faculty-led initiative focused at building a stronger MIT campus community while deepening ties between MIT and Israeli researchers
- Leading Jewish Organizations and Law Firms Launch Legal Protection Helpline for Campus Antisemitism | ADL
- The Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism
- 10 Things Every Jew Should Know Before They Go to College | Guidebook
- The Israel Young Academy
- BaShaar GuidePetitions
- New Harvard faculty-organized group signals support for Israeli students and provides a safe space on campus | Harvard Independent
- Anti-Zionist Faculty (AZF) Barometer | AMCHA
- Jewish on Campus Reports
- The State of US Campuses and Boycott Campaigns: Challenges and Opportunities for the Israeli Higher Education System | The Higher Education Lobby of The Knesset – 09.07.24
- IAC on Campus | Israeli American Council
- CAM Monitor by The Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) | Combat Antisemitism Movement
- Campus Divestment Resolutions in the USA | The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE)
- UKLFI – UK Lawyers for Israel | A voluntary organisation of lawyers who support Israel using their legal skills
Petitions Against Academic Boycotts
- A petition Against Academic Boycotts | August 2024
- Academy-Italy-Israel | A network of Italian professors and researchers who support Israel, against the boycott
- Sign the Faculty Open Letter: An academic boycott against Israel is selective, unfair, and counterproductive
- Petitions of the academia in Israel and abroad | BaShaar
- New barometer ranks universities by anti-Israel ‘faculty abuse’ | Washington Examiner, December 2024
- 117% increase in British campuses antisemitic incidents | CST, December 2024
- US Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strip Funding From Universities That Boycott Israel | Algemeiner
- Max Planck Society Establishes Office in Israel | Haaretz
- Antisemitism on College Campuses Exposed | US House Committee on Education and the Workforce, October 2024
- German MPs pass resolution to defund BDS | JNS, November 2024
- Trump Warns Universities: End Antisemitism or Lose Accreditation | The Jewish Press, November 2024
- A disturbing new report from StopAntisemitism reveals an unprecedented surge in antisemitic incidents on US college campuses |Iisrael Hayom, November 2024
- Boycotts: The Legal Remedy | SAPIR, November 2024
- A list of 50 ideas for how Jewish students can fight antisemitism | JNS
- Largest 100 University Endowments Could Lose $33 Billion over 10 Years if Divested from Israel, Estimates Jlens | ADL, September 2024
- How a Faculty Network Fuels Campus Unrest & Antisemitic Violence | AMCHA Report, September 2024
- Academic boycotts cannot become the new normal | Inside Higher Ed, September 2024
- The movement to boycott Israeli universities puts academic freedom at risk, Cary Nelson writes | Inside Higher Ed, September, 2024
- Student divestment demands have mostly failed | Inside Higher Ed, September 2024
- The hidden boycott: experiences of Israeli academics during the Israel-Hamas war | Israel Affairs, September 2024
- The Economic Risks of Divestment from Israel for University Endowments | ADL, August 2024
- The Dangerous Evolution of Cancel Culture | Minding the Campus, August 2024
- Columbia University Student Experiences of Antisemitism and Recommendations for Promoting Shared Values and Inclusion | Task Force on Antisemitism, August 2024
- The AAUP Abandons Academic Freedom. Its decision to allow academic boycotts betrays its values | Cary Nelson, August 2024
- Will US universities, businesses adopting IHRA antisemitism definition actually help? | The Jerusalem Post
- Boycotts of Israeli universities undermine the fundamental values of academia / Prof. Uri Sivan | The Boston Globe
- How academic boycotts threaten academic freedom | FIRE – Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
- New Training and Tougher Rules: How Colleges Are Trying to Tame Gaza Protests | The New York Times August 2024
- Israeli academics face growing isolation amid global campus protests | YNET August 2024
- Israel Divestment Talking Points: A Primer for Engaging University Endowment Leadership | ADL, August 2024
- Boycotts Betray the Ethos of Science | Spectator, April 2024
- “Say Our Name”. Administrators must acknowledge when Jews are attacked | NY Daily News, April 2024
- The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel | A book Edited by Cary Nelson, Gabriel Brahm
Announcements from Universities & Professional Organizations
- Trinity College in Connecticut Rejects Divestment Proposal Pushed by Anti-Israel Activists | Algemeiner, November 2024
- U of M Board chooses not to divest from Israel investments despite student pressure | MSN, November 2024
- Brown University rejects pro-Palestinian students’ demands to divest from Israel | New York Post, October 2024
- Harvard president rejects anti-Israel coalition’s latest divestment proposal | Campus Reform, October 2024
- US Colleges Reject Divestment Proposals Targeting Israel | The Algemeiner, September 2024
- Danger in Divestment / ACTA Highlights Grave Danger in Caving to Protestors’ Demands for Divestment, Boycott, and Sanctions
- John Hopkins University Adopts ‘Institutional Neutrality’ Policy After Anti-Israel Protests | the algemeiner
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