TAU professors denounce Dershowitz for speech against left

[Jefferson23]

Academics hit back after U.S. commentator slams university staff for backing boycotts against Israel.
By Or Kashti

Senior faculty members at Tel Aviv University have come out against remarks by Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz on Saturday in which he condemned Israeli university faculty who criticize Israel and have even supported an academic boycott of the country.

Dershowitz made the remarks, in which he also criticized academics who use their academic freedom and their Jewishness to chastise the Israeli government, at a ceremony awarding him an honorary doctorate at the university.

(Watch Dershowitz's speech - starts at 50th minute of video - here)

(Read the complete text of Dershowitz's speech here)

In a letter to the university's president, Joseph Klafter, a group of faculty members demanded that Tel Aviv University disassociate itself from Dershowitz's comments and "unequivocally defend the freedom of expression of all the members of the academic community."

They wrote: "The fact that Dershowitz mentioned the names of lecturers and accused them of hurting students and harming the resilience of the State of Israel already borders on incitement."

The letter was initiated in the history department and within hours attracted the support of 80 faculty members.


remainder in full: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/tau-professors-denounce-dershowitz-for-speech-against-left-1.289796

[sui generis]

1. Well Douche-owitz

Apparently you have a greater right to your opinion than they do?

This is so pedestrian for a Harvard Law School professor to lead an argument with the premise that one isn't a "real" jew unless they agree with him.

That's high school, and teabagger. Harvard must really be lowering its standards for intellectual prowess these days. . . .

[MUAD_DIB]

5. With his kind of argument you can replace "Jew" with any nationalistic title

and net the same results. Dersh isn't seeing the big picture.

[louis-t]

2. Maybe Dershie should move to Israel.

And shut up.

[fascisthunter]

3. Talk about Intolerance and Hatred

[naaman fletcher]

4. What a bunch of cry-babies.

I disagree with Dershowitz, but really, what a bunch of whiners. So he criticized them. So what. They then to the university to demand that the university "defend freedom of expression"? Nobody attacked freedom of expression. Dersh attack THEM and their ideas. That is freedom of expression.

crybabies.

[sui generis]

6. well it wasn't THAT he did it, it was HOW he did it.

There is a decorum in academic circles from which douche-owitz apparently wishes to express his freedom.

[naaman fletcher]

7. Oh ok,,

I guess I don't really think of the Dersh as much of an academic anymore, so that didn't really enter my mind.

[Tutankhamun]

8. Antisemitic Tel Aviv University profs.

:sarcasm:

[Jefferson23]

9. lol