This past week, Shurat HaDin sent a warning letter to the American Studies Association (ASA), the extremist academic organization which recently passed a resolution, in solidarity with the BDS movement, calling for a boycott of Israeli professors and academic institutions. The letter put the ASA on notice that its boycott resolution represents unlawful racial discrimination on the basis of national origin and religion. By its nature, a policy of singling out Israelis because they are Israeli and Jews violates international, federal and state law in the United States.

Shurat warned the ASA that we represent Israeli professors who were preparing to take legal action to have the boycott deemed unlawful. The organization noted that the BDS movement, by its very definition, seeks to make distinctions and impose restrictions on Israelis simply because they are Jews. BDS is racist and anti-Semitic.

As of early January, over 100 college presidents have gone on record as opposing the ASA boycott and at least five universities have withdrawn or plan to withdraw as institutional members of the association. We commend those professors and academic institutions who have distanced themselves from this biased and anti-Semitic boycott.

The warning letter placed the ASA on notice that if it does not take all necessary steps to cancel its boycott of Israeli institutions and academics, these hateful scholars may find themselves with a lawsuit brought by Israeli professors.

Unfortunately, the ASA and its far left-wing allies responded by accusing Shurat HaDin of “legal bullying” and insisting boycotts are protected “political speech” in the United States. “Not the first pharaohs to have their hearts hardened by arrogance” Shurat’s notice said.

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(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)