The AMCHA Initiative’s Tammi Rossman-Benjamin applauds the UC chancellors’ December statement condemning the academic boycott of Israel, noting that “the applause should have been loudest and longest from the directors of UC’s seven Jewish studies programs.”
Yet, David Biale, who heads Jewish studies at UC Davis, was critical of the chancellors (despite claiming to be a BDS opponent), implying that they were under pressure from “extreme right-wing” organizations. This despite the fact that Biale’s own colleagues include prominent BDS activists, such as UC Davis professor Sunaina Maira, whose 2018 book was unambiguously titled, Boycott! The Academy and Justice for Palestine (read CW’s review here).
Both Rossman-Benjamin’s op-ed and Biale’s rebuttal appear at J: The Jewish News of Northern California.
