Anti-Israel Vassar student group focuses on race of crowd at my speech

Posted by William A. Jacobson    Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 11:59am
Legal Insurrection

Not all minds were changed by my speech at Vassar. The speech and lengthy Q&A (see video below) took place after none of the 39 Vassar professors who signed a letter defending the academic boycott of Israel took up my challenge to debate any or all of them.

But that’s okay.

It’s a shame, though, that people who disagree with me have to focus on race.

(Original tweets here, here, here, here)

Their comment isn’t even accurate and is insulting to the diverse crowd in attendance. Certainly the crowd was mostly white, just like Vassar’s student body and faculty. But so what?

Dividing people by race and trying to drum up racial tension is a deliberate tactic of SJP at Vassar and elsewhere, as was reflected in the highly racialized taunting of two Vassar professors at a March 3 open forum on campus, as previously reported.

I guess I’m not really surprised.   Please CLICK HERE to keep reading

SJP Vassar Responds to Professor Jacobson

Read this SJP Vassar Response to Professor Jacobson

ASA Boycott – Not Defending the Undefendable

from divestthis.com May 7, 2014

I’ve said my piece (really more than my piece) regarding the academic boycott voted in by the American Studies Association last year.  But now that we’re closing in on the six month mark since a boycott against the Jewish state was made policy by an (admittedly marginal) academic group, it’s worth taking a step back to see what the consequences have been for Israel vs. the ASA.

As far as Israeli academics are concerned, I’m not aware of a single American Studies professor from a single university taking a single step to target an Israeli academic or institution in compliance with the boycott policy.  Perhaps someone can provide us an instance of the boycott actually being enacted, but as far as I can tell the leadership of the ASA has proven itself willing to put its organization, its members and the entire discipline of American Studies at risk for the sake of a policy they do not have the guts to actually implement.

Supporters of the ASA boycott point out that the action was primarily symbolic – a means to demonstrate that the organization (claiming to represent the ideals of academic inquiry and discourse) had become so sickened by Israeli policy that they were willing to use the blunt instrument of a boycott to express their disapproval.  But for this symbolism to hold, it must be demonstrated that the boycott actually represents some kind of consensus within the field, especially for a vote passed by a “majority” of just 16% of the organization’s members.  

NOTE: Several paragraphs later....

But probably the most telling example of how desperately the boycotters don’t want to engage in the conversation they claim to crave was this week’s appearance by Jacobson at Vassar College, a school where 39 professors attacked the college’s President’s when she joined over two-hundred other college and university presidents to condemn the ASA’s action (correctly) as an attack on academic freedom.

Please CLICK HERE to read the whole article

Professor Jacobson at Vassar Colleg on May 5, 2014

William Jacobson Gives his talk at Vassar College. He offered to debate the 39 professors who wrote an angry letter to the President of Vassar stating their support for the anti Israel ASA Boycott. Not ONE of the 39 professors agreed to meet Professor Jacobson for a debate. Thus he appeared at Vassar College Monday May, 5 2014 to deliver this talk on Israel, the BDS movemnent, anti Israel ideology, the ASA Boycott and much more. Enjoy!

Calling out the anti Israel anti-semitic Vassar College Professors

NOTE:!! William Jacobson will appear at VASSAR COLLEGE tomorrow, Monday May 5, 2014. He had offered to debate any or all of the 39 VASSAR Professors who signed a letter to the VASSAR COLLEGE newspaper, the MISCELLANY NEWS who were dismayed with the VASSAR PRESIDENT when she opposed the ASA Boycott. 

NOT ONE of the professors would come forward to accept the challenge. Not one! Meanwhile these professors continue to sponsor JEW HATING anti-Israel speakers on a near daily basis. 

If you are anywhere near VASSAR COLLEGE on Monday please go and show your support. 

No takers on my debate challenge to Vassar pro-boycott faculty, but I’m still going

Posted by William A. Jacobson    Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 3:29pm

The Case for Israel and Academic Freedom still will be made.

You may recall My debate challenge to Vassar pro-boycott faculty who signed an Open Letter defending the American Studies Association academic boycott of Israel:

Any or all of the 39 Vassar faculty members are welcome to debate me. All I insist on is equal time cumulatively. If none of the 39 Vassar faculty agree to debate, I will give a lecture on why the academic boycott of Israel should be opposed.

The organizers of the debate, the recently renamed Vassar Conservative Libertarian Union (VCLU), informed me a short while ago that none of the 39 Vassar faculty who signed the Open Letter had accepted my debate challenge by the deadline of last night.

Accordingly, I will go to Vassar and give a lecture on The Case for Israel and Academic Freedom, focusing on rebutting the support for the academic boycott of Israel expressed in the Vassar faculty Open Letter.

Here is the revised event poster provided to me by VCLU:

NOTE: Where is the academic integrity of the Vassar Faculty? Is there no one who is smart enough to debate? Or do they just hide behind Professor Shreier's snarky curriculum? There is much more to this...