Anti-Israel Conference At NYU

Below  is a statement released by the AMCHA Initiative regarding the upcoming conference at 

NYU (above) devoted to delegitimizing Israel.

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AMCHA INITIATIVE OUTRAGED OVER “SECRET” ANTI-ISRAEL CONFERENCE AT NYU 

 
Santa Cruz, CA, February 26, 2014 – AMCHA Initiative cofounders, Tammi  
Rossman-Benjamin and Leila Beckwith, released the following statement  
today about the upcoming anti-Israel, pro-boycott conference at New  
York University (NYU): 
 
“Far from the “academic conference” it was touted to be, “Circuits of  
Influence” will be nothing more than a platform for 21 anti-Israel  
activists to spew their hatred of the Jewish state and promote a  
boycott intended to hasten its elimination. All of the conference’s  
participants are anti-Israel, pro-boycott activists and the schedule  
is a compilation of workshops on how to boycott Israel, given by  
representatives of virulently anti-Zionists. No wonder Professor  
Duggan wants to hide this event from public scrutiny. It is an  
unscholarly, antisemitic, politically-motivated and directed  
conference.” 
 
“Wrapping themselves in the mantle of “academic freedom,” the  
organizing professors are abusing their scholarly privilege and  
brazenly using their academic credentials and university funding to  
advance their purely activist agenda.  University administrators must  
not allow these anti-Israel activist professors like Duggan to exploit  
NYU’s resources and reputation and hijack NYU to advance their  
antisemitic agenda.” 
 
The event is being organized by NYU professor Lisa Duggan, an anti- 
Israel activist who has repeatedly promoted academic, cultural and  
economic boycotts of Israel and is the President-elect of the American  
Studies Association, a group that recently voted to boycott Israel.   
The conference is closed to the press and public.  In fact, Duggan  
wrote on Facebook, “PLEASE DO NOT post or circulate the flyer.  We are  
trying to avoid press, protestors and public attention.” 
 
AMCHA Initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to  
investigating, documenting, educating about, and combating  
antisemitism at institutions of higher education in America. AMCHA  
Initiative's efforts are bolstered by a network of more than 5,000  
members and supporters of the Jewish community -- including university  
alumni, parents and grandparents, rabbis, religious school principals  
and synagogue members -- who have joined together to speak in one  
voice to ensure the safety and well-being of Jewish students on  
college and university campuses across the country.

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Not for nothin', but should not universities, who proudly proclaim that they expose students to all sides of 

issues, be putting on events that examine all side of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, with differing voices, 

debates, and free exchange of ideas?





Silly me.



Instead,  what we get at universities are events like these with 21 speakers all of a like 

mind, all  providing only side of a most complex issue. Result? One big echo chamber. It's kind of like 

MSNBC, you know?

As I say all the time, this is not education; what this is is indoctrination.