Prof. Daniel Boyarin's lecture at the University of California, Berkeley, which was supposed to take place today (Sunday) at Bar-Ilan University, will be delivered via Zoom, following the public criticism against him.
It should be recalled that Bar-Ilan invited Prof. Boyarin to speak at a conference dealing with Jewish thought and rabbinic literature, even though he is considered anti-Zionist, has called for a boycott of Israel in the past, and even called for a boycott of Bar-Ilan University itself.
The university administration explained: "His hosting does not indicate support for his political views, but only indicates the importance of his academic research."
"His hospitality does not indicate endorsement of his political views." Bar-Ilan University (archive), photo: Yehoshua Yosef
When the invitation to the lecture was published, the right-wing Im Tirtzu movement appealed to Bar-Ilan's management to cancel his invitation to the conference. The protest intensified with the publication of this in Israel Hayom. Bar-Ilan feared disruption of the event, and decided, as stated, to close the event to the participants and instead hold the lecture on Zoom.
This is a Jewish professor who defines himself as an anti-Zionist and who claimed that Israel is a "grave mistake." He also said that some of the government's activities could be compared to the actions of the Nazis.
Call to boycott Israel
Over the years, he has expressed support for the BDS movement, and has called above all for a platform to boycott Israel and its academia, including Bar-Ilan.
Im Tirtzu coordinator at Bar-Ilan, Adiel Cohen: "We are happy with the decision. However, holding his lecture on Zoom is still inappropriate. There is no place in academia for a person who supports a boycott of Israel, and we will continue to act on this issue."
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