The Simon Wiesenthal Center and AMCHA Initiative Partner to Thank CSU Chancellor White for Denouncing Antisemitic Boycott
January 3, 2014
In a joint letter issued by the Simon Weisenthal Center and AMCHA Initiative, California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White was thanked for his statement denouncing the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israeli universities:
Timothy P. White
California State University Chancellor
401 Golden Shore
Long Beach, CA 90802-4210
Dear Chancellor White,
We highly commend you for publicly denouncing the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israeli universities, noting that such a boycott would “violate the basic tenents of higher education including academic freedom and scholarly dialog.” Excluding the Jewish state’s universities from the community of scholars would certainly thwart the “unfettered creation, discovery and dissemination of knowledge vital to [CSU’s] mission of research, teaching and service,” and to the mission of every other American university.
In the 1930’s, thousands of Jewish scholars were kicked out of German universities simply because they were Jews, and German academia was silent. It is reassuring that in the United States, the head of the largest university system in America has publicly condemned efforts to discriminate against scholarly institutions in the Jewish state.
Thank you for your resolute commitment to upholding the highest ideals of the university.
Sincerely,
Aron Hier
Director, Campus Outreach
Simon Wiesenthal Center
Leila Beckwith
Co-founder AMCHA Initiative
Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
Co-founder AMCHA Initiative
Cc: CSU Board of Trustees
CSU Presidents
California Jewish Community leaders
CSU’s Chancellor joins the more than 110 university leaderswho have denounced the academic boycott of Israeli universities. Chancellor White’s statement is especially notable as California State University is the largest comprehensive higher education system in the country with 23 campuses and approximately 437,000 students.