Called to boycott Bar Ilan - and was invited to stay there: Bar-Ilan University invited a Jewish, anti-Zionist lecturer to an event in Jewish thought, who argues that some government activities can be compared to those of the Nazis. On June 4, the Department of Jewish Philosophy at Bar-Ilan University will hold the "Annual Lecture on Jewish Thought" event. Among the list of invitees to the conference is Prof. Daniel Boyarin of the University of California, Berkeley.
This is a Jewish professor who defines himself as an anti-Zionist and as someone who called for a boycott of the State of Israel. In a previous interview with Channel 10 reporter Omri Maniv in 2016, Boyarin declared himself "anti-Zionist," saying, "Anti-Zionism is my Zionism." Asked what his views were on Israel, he said: "I think it's a mistake, a serious mistake."
He referred to the neighborhood where he lived in Jerusalem (Baka) as occupied, adding, "Everything is occupied in my eyes." Prof. Boyarin has expressed support for the BDS movement over the years and calls from every platform to boycott Israel and academia there. In the interview itself, he said that he was boycotting Bar Ilan University, the university where he was supposed to be staying. Boyarin is the author of the book "The No State Solution" in which he calls for the end of the State of Israel and declares himself a proud anti-Zionist.
Following the publication, Im Tirtzu cell activists at Bar Ilan demanded that the anti-Zionist lecturer be invited to the conference. Adiel Cohen, Im Tirtzu cell coordinator at Bar-Ilan: "I am shocked that a university that champions a Jewish character invites an anti-Semitic and post-Zionist Otto man who constantly encourages a boycott of the State of Israel. In a country that desires life, such statements should be outlawed. We will act within the framework of the law as necessary in order for the despicable event to be canceled. An evil wind is blowing in the corridors of the university, we will work with all our might to remove it."
CEO If You Want Matan Peleg, Photo: Noam Rabkin Fenton
Shai Rosengarten, head of education at the If You Want movement, said: "It was said in advance - Bar-Ilan's incitement and moral madness will not pass in silence. Every donor of the university and every student will know that a sworn hater of Israel comes to lecture on campus. We will do everything possible within the framework of the law to prevent the arrival of the despicable anti-Zionist."
The university administration said: "Prof. Boyarin was invited by the head of the Department of Jewish Philosophy, Prof. Hanoch Ben-Pazi to lecture in his academic field of expertise, at a conference dealing with rabbinic literature. Academic freedom and the pursuit of excellence include openness to diverse international research. His hospitality does not indicate support for his political views, but merely indicates the importance of his academic research."
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