Combating the “Silent” Boycott
Combating the “Silent” Boycott
August 18, 2016
The Jerusalem Post — Regarding the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi says while Israeli universities haven’t been significantly affected by the movement, there is a trend that is worrisome: the “silent” boycott.
This entails incidents where Israeli academics and researchers are quietly shunned by the global academic community — from exclusion from academic conferences to the rejection of research papers by noted publications.
“A professor might be ready to accept a post-doctorate candidate from Israel, but because of the environment he might reconsider,” Prof. Carmi explains.
The concern is not so much that mainstream academics will become anti-Israel, it is that they will simply say “we don’t need this headache” when it comes to working with Israeli institutions and researchers.
BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi
To combat this silent boycott, Prof. Carmi stresses the importance of sending Israeli students abroad as representatives for the State of Israel and Israeli academia, and inviting foreign students into the country to see for themselves.
“I really strongly believe in the role of students in combating the phenomenon,” she says.
“Even if you don’t change their minds 180 degrees, they’ll come here as extremists and at least leave as people who ask questions.”
The University has recently made efforts to partner with foreign universities who could be allies in combating the stigma created by BDS, notably making a deal with Jilin University in China to establish a joint center for entrepreneurship and innovation.
“It is an opportunity that we seized,” Prof. Carmi says.
Read more on The Jerusalem Post website >>
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