Rebottled Jew-Hate: The Boycott of Jewish Genius

Somewhat covertly, in November 2024, Ayelet Shaked, a former Israeli Minister of Justice, was shockingly denied permission to enter Australia for the purpose of participating in a conference discussing current Middle East events. The conference was hosted by the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), and intended to be a Jewish community event.

Colin Rubenstein, executive director of AIJAC, denounced the visa denial, made without a reason being disclosed at the time, by Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. In Rubenstein's view, "The decision to refuse a visa to... Shaked on the grounds that she would vilify Australians and incite discord among the community is a disgraceful act of hostility towards a democratic ally."

Refusing entry to a Western country of a former Israeli cabinet minister is simply a further incident in a global de-platforming movement against Jewish-Israeli personalities. In January 2022, some 20 cultural acts withdrew in protest against sponsorship by Israel's embassy in Australia of a performance by the Sydney Dance Company, scheduled to be presented at Sydney's cultural festival. The act was based on a work by Tel Aviv's Batsheva Dance Company, and Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, but was vilified due to its Israel-Jewish connection.

A December 2023 report, by Israel's National Council for Civilian Research and Development, cautioned that an "unofficial boycott is taking place in Western academia." The consequences for Israel could be serious, goes the report, as these "discriminatory practices could harm the economy, which relies on scientific capabilities as a start-up country." The report added:

"Since October 7, a sort of quiet boycott of Israeli researchers has begun, of the kind that has never been seen before. This boycott is reflected in the cancellation of invitations to joint conferences, the rejection of articles for publication, the rejection of grants to Israeli researchers, and more."

The report mentions actions taken earlier, in March 2022, by the US-based Middle East Studies Association (MESA), in which an academic boycott against Israeli institutions, instigated by the BDS movement, was approved by a large majority of MESA members but denounced by the Academic Engagement Agency, a watchdog group.

In response to the ban, MESA's rival, the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA), founded by the late professors Bernard Lewis and Fouad Ajami, "pointed to the double standard in MESA's resolution and the harm it will cause to academic freedom," according to JNS.

ASMEA chairman Professor Norman Stillman wrote in a statement:

"By passing this resolution to blacklist and boycott Israeli institutions of higher learning, the membership of MESA has abandoned any pretext of being an academic association in favor of an organization with a singular political cause: to delegitimize Israel. Their abandonment of the basic principles of academic integrity and freedom, namely the free expression of ideas, is deeply rooted in old biases and prejudice."

Academic freedom as a facade

While all attempts to delegitimize Jewish excellence on the world stage are to be condemned outright, the hypocrisy of Western anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist actors is highlighted by events surrounding the 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses. At a time of immense pressure from offended Muslims to ban the book, Western nations were not inclined to do so. They accurately claimed that academic freedom was part of their constitutional tradition.

Then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher justified the West's publication of the controversial work. "Freedom of speech," she said, "was a principle of major importance" and the matter involved, "national sovereignty and international law" – none of which prohibited printing the text.

Compared to the principled stance by Western leaders of upholding academic freedom and freedom of speech at the time of Rushdie's controversial book, when it came to applying such rights to Jewish-Israeli writers, academics, achievers, intellectuals, scholars, scientists and the like, all of a sudden, lauded constitutional principles are being ignored -- even by prestigious academic institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania.

"As Steven Spielberg says, antisemitism 'is no longer lurking, but standing proud' as it was in Germany during the 1930s."

In September 2023, and in the name of academic freedom, the University of Pennsylvania hosted a "Palestine Writes Literature Festival" on its Philadelphia campus, featuring, "some of the most notorious anti-Semites in the world." The speakers selected were not acknowledged "writers, academics or literary experts." The festival was described by a critic as an "antisemitic pro-BDS hate-fest," advocating destruction of the Jewish state. Unsurprisingly, Jewish-Israeli participants were not welcome.

In like mode, the "Palestine Festival of Literature" (Palfest), a self-described "cultural initiative," in October 2024, "announced that over 1,000 writers have signed on to a literary boycott of Israel," according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

"In a public letter, these writers declared that they will not allow their books to be translated into Hebrew, contribute to Israeli magazines and newspapers, attend conferences or give readings in Israel, or work with Israeli publishers and literary agents... Palfest proudly describes its own effort as 'the largest cultural boycott against Israeli institutions in history.'"

Signatories to the boycott letter include Pulitzer Prize winners, Nobel Laureates, MacArthur Fellows and so on. Shortly thereafter, a further 5,000 writers signed on to the boycott.

The plan to isolate Israel

These incidents are not isolated. They are systemic and indicate a widespread aggressive agenda globally to erase Jewish influence in academia, science, technology and culture. The strategy by enemies of Israel and the Jews is reminiscent of the objectives of the Chinese Communist Party, say in Taiwan: to completely isolate Taiwan from world affairs -- in all areas, politically, financially, economically and culturally. In this, they would have been successful if not for support for Taiwan by the US and other allies. The US and the West should stand with Israel here, as well.

The arrogance behind the intent to cancel, dismantle, deprive, and deny the deep wisdom, brilliance, and genius of outstanding men and women who have contributed so much to the ethos, culture and greatness of Western civilization, is difficult to comprehend. Of Nobel Laureates, 22% are Jewish (from 0.2% of the world population) and include Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr (whose mother was Jewish, thus putting him at risk during the Nazi era), Eli Wiesel and Milton Friedman. These notables would also face being denied a platform should they appear on the world stage today.

The true explanation, it seems, is one of deep-seated Jew-hatred within various Western societies. This has been concealed for years within a façade of tolerance and social niceties, but now, as Steven Spielberg says, antisemitism "is no longer lurking, but standing proud" as it was in Germany during the 1930s.

Ari Ingel, executive director of the Creative Community for Peace, said in response to the October boycott letter:

"These boycott calls, now being led by members of the literary community themselves, are reminiscent of the 1933 boycott of Jewish authors, when antisemites burned over 25,000 books. The works of Jewish authors like Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, alongside American works by Ernest Hemingway and Helen Keller were burned. This is where things are once again headed."

"Cultural and academic ostracization is simply rebottled Jew-hate."

The words of Count Stanislas de Claremont-Tonnerre, at the time of the French Revolution, try to parse the animosity towards Jewish people: "Jews should be denied everything as a nation, but granted everything as individuals... The existence of a nation within a nation is unacceptable to our country." Stanislas therefore denounced their existence as a nation, superbly refuted in 1948.

Journalist Daniel Greenfield notes that in the view of Western activists,

"Antisemitism was always premised on redefining Jewish existence as unnatural and artificial. Jews were being denounced as colonizers as far back as the days of Pharaoh.... The Jews, being Semites, do not belong in Europe. The Jews, being European, do not belong in Israel. The Jews, being Zionists, do not belong at progressive institutions like Harvard or Columbia. And the Jews, being occupiers, do not belong in London."

He continues, "it's not about Israel," but "has everything to do with the Jews." In plain words, cultural and academic ostracization is simply rebottled Jew-hate.

A world in need of genius

At the same time, these actions also reflect the death throes of that malevolent construct, which favors the group over the individual, known as identity politics. It has caused vast divisive damage in the public arena, and now manifests itself in a loud, irrational and angry prejudice under the guise of a biased social justice claim against a nation, a religion, an ethnic group of peace-loving scholars, intellectuals, scientists and creative geniuses who value freedom, morality, innovation and excellence.

The Jewish nation has a divine calling to "bring light" to the world with wisdom, truth and equal justice under the law. These values commenced with the Mosaic codes, which introduced definitive rubrics of virtue. "The Jewish people brought morality to the world thousands of years ago," remarked Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle, "and some people are still mad about it."

At this time of international turmoil, the world needs expertise and wisdom from the finest minds and great statesmen, including the Jewish ones. It is to the detriment of Western civilization and society, should this millennia-old generational excellence be denied to the West at this dark time of post-truth, post-morality and spreading barbarism, especially in the West.

© Gatestone Institute