The Israeli Tenured Left demands that Academic Freedom be Suppressed

By Steven Plaut

The Radical Academic Left in Israel Demands that Academic Freedom be suppressed in order to Defend Academic Freedom

It sounds like a Purim gag, and if only it were.

The Israeli tenured Radical Left with some fellow travelers has petitioned Bar Ilan University to suppress freedom of speech in order to defend freedom of speech.  Really.  No joke.

Let me explain.

A couple of weeks back, Bar Ilan University in Israel hosted an event honoring Edwin Black for his important new book, “ FINANCING THE FLAMES IN THE MIDDLE EAST: HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS ABUSES IN ISRAEL.”   The book, which is gaining enormous attention,  exposes the biased pro-terror and anti-Israel political activities of various NGO’s pretending to be “human rights groups.”   Black is a NY Times best selling author; The event in question was advertised here:

http://www.janglo.net/component/option,com_events/task,view_detail/agid,22377/year,2014/month,02/day,16/Itemid,290/

The Tenured Left was not amused.  A petition was organized to denounce Bar Ilan University for allowing Black to speak on campus and demanding that the event surrounding the publication of Black’s book be cancelled.  The petition was organized by Peace Now co-founder Amiram Goldblum, a far-leftist professor of pharmaceutical studies at the Hebrew University.   You may recall Goldblum as the character who organized that pseudo-poll that claimed to find that most Israelis favor apartheid.  (See http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=2794)   Goldblum is behind many of the attempts to paint Israel as an apartheid regime and has called for international pressure to suppress Israeli sovereignty and coerce the country to accept the diktats of the tiny ultra-leftist minority.

The new petition initiated by Goldblum demanding that Black be prevented from speaking, with its Orwellian title of “Support Free Speech,” can be read here in Hebrew and English:  http://www.atzuma.co.il/supportfreespeech.  Yes it is there in black and white – the petition demands that freedom of speech be suppressed for Black in order to support freedom of speech.  Ben Dror Yemini in Maariv this past weekend devotes part of his column to mocking Goldblum and his fellow petitioners:  http://www.nrg.co.il/app/index.php?do=blog&encr_id=f2b4c1b55be76d1e6d7b777256ea0370&id=4900

It is also amusing to see the list of tenured radicals who signed the petition to suppress academic freedom at Bar Ilan University.  The list includes many academics who have ever demanded that critics of the Radical Left be silenced and suppressed.   It is worth going through the list of signers one by one.

Among the signers are Daniel Bar-Tal from Tel Aviv University, Avraham Oz and Hannah Safran from from Haifa University, Oren Yiftachel from Ben Gurion University, and Frances Raday and Goldblum himself from the Hebrew University, plus a number of other leaders from “Peace Now.”

Could George Orwell have invented as good an instrument for exposing the totalitarianism of the Israeli radical Left?

March 2, 2014 | 9 Comments »

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9 Comments / 9 Comments

  1. yamit82 Said:

    Not bashing just as CA would say, just observing…. See: John 8:7

    Thanks yamit82 for your comment. I looked at John 8:7,and I found it out to be a wisest and reasonable answer. Are you trying to be a Chief Rabbi instead of MK as you seem to be very much interested in scriptures? 🙂

  4. AbbaGuutuu Said:

    There are ample historical evidences
    that clearly show what radical lefties have done and doing all over the world. Some of them have good intentions. Based on their main principle of “The end justifies the means” they would do anything to achieve their goals. They are the most intolerant human beings I have ever seen

    I agree with you although I find it amusing coming from you.

    let me explain:

    1CO 9:020 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

    1CO 9:021 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

    1CO 9:022 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

    1CO 9:023 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

    Not bashing just as CA would say, just observing…. 🙂 See: John 8:7

  5. Surely he jests.

    Well, maybe not. He is an academic.

    Naaa! Would he use gasoline to douse a fire? ? ? ?

  6. @ the phoenix:

    Here is a very interesting piece, written by Ann barnhardt

    Thanks! This is a very interesting piece. And thanks for those Canadian moment pics you posted. Tooooooo funny! Humor is good for the soul. Your very good at finding relevant timely material. Have a good week. 🙂

  9. It is also amusing to see the list of tenured radicals who signed the petition to suppress academic freedom at Bar Ilan University. The list includes many academics who have ever demanded that critics of the Radical Left be silenced and suppressed. It is worth going through the list of signers one by one

    The radical left likes to control every aspect human lives in the name of “freedom of speech, expression,etc.” There are ample historical evidences
    that clearly show what radical lefties have done and doing all over the world. Some of them have good intentions. Based on their main principle of “The end justifies the means” they would do anything to achieve their goals. They are the most intolerant human beings I have ever seen.
    In most of american universities conservatives are forbidden to speak. The so called academic freedom is only for the radical left.