Senior Haifa University lecturer Dr. Yuval Yonai questions if a professor should involve himself and publically express an opinion in a field outside the realm of one’s expertise. Yonai was referring to the statements released by Israeli professor and Nobel Chemistry Prize laureate Prof. Ada Yonath, who told Army Radio that all prisoners who are not classified as criminals, namely terrorists, should be released by Israel. Dr. Yonai stated that while a professor may express an opinion on any subject, not all opinions should be publicized. Dr. Yonai explained the media should filter comments at times as well.
Professor Elisha Haas, a former Weizmann Institute chemist expressed sorrow over Yonath’s remarks. On the other side of the political spectrum, Ben-Gurion University’s Dr. Neve Gordon announced he sees nothing wrong with Yonath’s remarks. It was Dr. Gordon in an August Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times who called for a boycott of Israel.
Prof. Haas, who is the current chairman of the Professors for a Strong Israel Organization stated Yonath commented on a subject she knows nothing about, adding that while she is a colleague of his for over 30 years, her remarks in this case are “unfortunate”.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
It just proves how one can be a genius in one specific area of knowledge and an imbecile in another. Look at professional atheletes and entertainers. For the majority of them, when they step off the field, or off the stage, their opinions are worth less than nothing.