Norwegian University Considering Boycott of Israeli Academics

Here's a disturbing piece of news from our friend Chaya who is the Chairperson of the Word Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). The Norwegian University of Science and Technology is considering a resolution to pass a boycott of Israeli academics.

Chaya penned a strong letter of appeal to student representatives at the university to vote against the proposed boycott.

World Union of Jewish Students urges board members of Norwegian university to fight proposed boycott of Israeli academics JERUSALEM - Chaya Singer, the South African Chairperson of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS), has urged student representatives on the board of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim to vote against the proposed resolution calling for a boycott of Israeli academics. In her letter, the WUJS leader appeals to NTNU student leaders - "as the trustees of the traditions of the university as a bastion of open debate and education, and the safeguards of academic freedom and tolerance" - to take a firm stand and vote, on behalf of young people everywhere, against the boycott. If the board at its meeting on 12 November votes in favor of a boycott, NTNU would become the first Western university to enact a boycott of Israeli academics. WUJS has been in contact with various students and representatives of student bodies at NTNU, and responses indicate that many students are against the boycott. As one student representative commented regarding the students on the board of Norway's prestigious university, "I would be surprised if they voted for the boycott, because academic freedom is important for them as well." "The idea of a university calling for a politicized boycott of academics on the basis of their national origin is utterly absurd in a 21st century characterized by globalized information sharing and open-source education", Chaya Singer declared. "This would be a violation of the most fundamental principles of academic freedom and indicative of an anti-Israel agenda that unfortunately has been growing in strength recently, especially in Europe. The World Union of Jewish Students condemns such threats of boycott as an assault on academic freedom and the universal values of education and academic pursuit," she added. WUJS was established in 1924 under the chairmanship of Albert Einstein to combat the rigid quotas against Jewish students in European universities. As the umbrella organization of independent Jewish student unions around the world, WUJS cooperates with a broad network of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations and student bodies to battle anti-Semitism on campus and to provide Jewish students with a voice in the political youth arena. Contact: Chaya Singer Chairperson, WUJS