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A professor from the University of Michigan refused to write a letter of recommendation for a student studying abroad in Israel, claiming that it was part of a "boycott." university "of the country.
John Cheney-Lippold, associate professor at the US Department of Culture, rejected the student's request Abigail Ingber in an email, a screenshot of which was posted on Facebook by Club Z, an organization of networking for pro-Israeli students. He wrote that he had previously agreed to provide the letter to Ingber, but he later realized that he had "missed a key detail".
"As you may know, many university departments have promised an academic boycott against Israel for Palestinians living in Palestine," Cheney-Lippold wrote. "This boycott includes the writing of letters of recommendation for students who plan to study there.
An e-mail screen shot of a professor from the University of Michigan refusing a student to apply for a letter of recommendation to study in Israel.
Facebook / Club Z
"I should have told you earlier, and for that I apologize," he continued. "But for political reasons, I have to cancel my offer to write your letter." He said that he would be "happy" to write other letters for Ingber, who is a junior, according to the Michigan Daily student newspaper. Ingber did not immediately respond to requests for comments from CBS News.
Cheney-Lippold seemed to be referring to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, an international protest movement aimed at isolating Israel until it meets Palestinians' demands. Official guidelines from a Palestinian organization associated with the movement say that faculty members "should not agree to write recommendations for students hoping to pursue studies in Israel." The guidelines also indicate that academics should not teach or conduct research in Israeli universities and not participate in university visits that "receive funding from Israel, its complicit institutions or international lobbies" .
Many supporters of Israel believe that large parts of the BDS movement are motivated by anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League has called this effort "the most important effort to undermine the existence of Israel".
The University of Michigan Student Movement in November 2017 voted for the first time in favor of a resolution in favor of the BDS, which called on the school to divest its stakes in companies doing business with Israel.
But the university's board of directors rejected the resolution, and the school denies that its departments have taken a broader stance against Israel, as Cheney-Lippold said.
"Injecting personal policies into a decision about the support of our students is contrary to our values and expectations as an institution.The academic objectives of our students are of paramount importance.The position of the university is to taken care of, "said the school in a statement to CBS News.
"While members of the University of Michigan community have a wide range of individual opinions on this subject and many other topics, the university is systematically opposed to boycotting Israeli higher education institutions. taken a position that departs from this long-standing university position. "
The school did not say whether Cheney-Lippold had been reprimanded for his e-mail.
In an email to CBS News, Cheney-Lippold said he made a mistake in his message to the student. He meant that many teachers, not "many university departments," were part of the boycott of Israel.
"When writing e-mail, I was doing business with the department – and I had to have departments in the lead," he wrote. "I did not notice the error before it was sent, but I want to point out that only individual teachers are part of the boycott, and no department of the University of Michigan. "
Asked about the email scandal, Cheney-Lippold added, "I strongly support my decision as I am against any injustice and inequality, and I hope others will protest against a government that has created a system. favorable to Jewish citizens "Right to Self-Determination of Palestinians" I will continue to support the rights of Palestinians until everyone in Israel is treated on an equal footing, including at the university level. "
He also stated that he had "meetings with university officials" about e-mail.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a law in January 2017 banning boycotts of individuals or public entities by a foreign state, without directly mentioning Israel or the BDS movement.
