US faculty audit links over half of Jewish studies professors to anti-Israel positions
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- A new audit claims over 50% of audited faculty in U.S. Jewish, Israel, Hebrew, and Holocaust studies are linked to documented anti-Israel public positions.
- The study analyzed nearly 2,500 faculty members and institutional entries across 313 American universities.
- Researchers defined anti-Israel stances based on specific actions, excluding mainstream political criticisms.
A recent national faculty audit has alleged that more than half of the audited university faculty members and related program files in Jewish Studies, Israel Studies, Hebrew language, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies have documented anti-Israel public positions. The study, conducted by The Olam, an institutional intelligence platform, analyzed 2,499 faculty members and institutional entries from 313 American universities.
the largest audit ever undertaken of Jewish Studies and Israel Studies faculties in the United States
Ronn Torossian, publisher of The Olam, described the audit as the largest ever undertaken of Jewish Studies and Israel Studies faculties in the United States. The report claims that 51.9% of the analyzed entries, totaling 1,298, featured documented anti-Israel public positions according to the study's criteria. Among individual educators specifically teaching in these fields, the audit alleged that 39.5%, or 401 out of 1,014, held such positions. The concentration was reportedly higher at Ivy League universities, with 72.3% of audited faculty records showing documented anti-Israel stances.
The study classified an anti-Israel stance based on specific public actions. These included holding leadership roles in groups like Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) or Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), signing petitions endorsing academic boycotts, characterizing Zionism as "settler colonialism," labeling Israel an apartheid state, or defining its military actions as genocide. The researchers stated they deliberately excluded mainstream political criticisms, such as opposition to specific government policies or advocacy for a two-state solution, which are part of ongoing debates within Israeli society.
more than half the professors in America teaching about Judaism, the Hebrew language, the State of Israel, and the history of the Holocaust have publicly positioned themselves against the Jewish state.
The report argues that these professors are responsible for teaching future generations about Judaism, the Hebrew language, the State of Israel, and Holocaust history. The documented positions, according to the study, fall outside the consensus of mainstream Zionism. The audit also noted that endowed chairs appeared among petition signatories.
These professors are the people hired to teach the next generation about Judaism, the Hebrew language, the State of Israel, and the history of the Holocaust
Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.