Jewish human rights group hits back at boycotters

Headed “Stop boycotting Jewish academics”, the advert made links between the anti-Israel boycott and similar moves under Nazi Germany.

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

Jewish Human Rights Watch has placed an advert in the Guardian in response to a recent call by 343 university teachers for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

The advert said it was necessary to “educate the boycotters on how their call for a boycott of Jewish academics and outright support for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) is sheathed antisemitism.”

A JHRW spokesperson said: “We call upon the named universities involved… to dissociate themselves from these academics. We urge the universities to see the truth.

“Enough is enough, says JHRW.”

Headed “Stop boycotting Jewish academics”, the advert made links between the anti-Israel boycott and similar moves under Nazi Germany.

The text of the advert reads: “Starting in April 1933, German academics actively colluded in the dismissal of their own Jewish colleagues, under the Nazi Law for the Re-Establishment of the Professional Civil Service.

“So did the activists of the National Socialist Students’ League which, long before the Nazis came to power, organised boycotts of, and disturbances in, lectures given by Jewish academics.

“In many universities, up to one third of the faculty were purged in this way.

“Those responsible included philosophers of worldwide renown such as Martin Heidegger at Heidelberg University, and also many junior scholars who spotted opportunities to advance their own careers.

“In light of this background, it is disturbing that 350 British academics would support attempts to boycott all academic institutions in the Jewish state.

“Those institutions are not responsible for government policies, any more than Cambridge, Oxford, LSE or UCL are responsible for the policies of David Cameron.

“Few of these academics have called for boycotts of the institutions of other nations either: their relentless focus is on the institutions of the Jewish state.

“Therefore we call upon British universities to show responsibility and immediately disassociate themselves from this deplorable gesture, which damages their institutions and goes against the fundamental idea that universities should be promoting: Learning – free from antisemitic boycotts.”