Open Letter to Chancellor Charles Reed and the California State University Board of Trustees

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To: Dr. Herbert L. Carter, Chair CSU Board of Trustees
Dr. Charles B. Reed, Chancellor, California State University

We the undersigned scholars and academics, including faculty members of California State University and the Board of Directors of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), applaud the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees of the California State University System for their decision to reinstate the International Program to Israel. Study abroad programs provide participants with the opportunity to learn firsthand about other cultures and peoples and the problems they confront.

Travel to Israel is of particular value in light of the negative attention this small country receives on the one hand yet on the other contributes disproportionately in science, the humanities and economics, as reflected by the number of Nobel laureates their universities have produced. Especially now, on the heels of the “Arab Spring” where so many study abroad programs have been put on-hold, Israel’s stability as a democracy shines. Consequently, Israel has been called upon by the programs themselves to substitute for their programs for example, in Egypt.

Studying in Israel gives students opportunities to gain mastery of several Middle East languages such as Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish and even Farsi-while acquiring knowledge in fields of study that are at present unavailable elsewhere. Visiting Israel also enables students to discover for themselves what Israel and Israeli society are like, so they can respond appropriately to the prevalent debate that occurs on many North American universities(e.g., the mendacious charge that “Israel is an apartheid state”). Students and faculty at Israeli universities have academic freedom which is not found in other universities in the Middle East, with Israeli Arabs well represented in the student bodies and faculties of Israeli institutions of higher learning.

We congratulate the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees for rejecting discrimination and politicization of the academic enterprise embodied in recent ill-conceived and illogical appeals to reject reinstatement.

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Board Signatures:

Judith S. Jacobson, Dr.P.H.
Columbia University
Co-Founder and Vice-President for Internal Relations
(Board member from 2002- Present)
Co- President

Stanley Dubinsky Ph.D.
University of South Carolina, USA
Vice President for External Relations
(Board member from 2002-present)
Co- President

Ruth Lichtenberg-Contreras, Ph.D.
Secretary, Austria
(Board member from 2002- Present)

Shlomo Dubnov, Ph.D.
University of California at San Diego
Treasurer
(2011-Present)

Jonathan Adelman, Ph.D.
University of Denver, USA
(2005- Present)

Steven Albert, Ph.D., MPH
University of Pittsburgh, USA
(2005- Present)

Leila Beckwith, Ph.D.
University of Southern California-Los Angeles (UCLA)
(2006- Present)

John R. Cohn, MD
Thomas Jefferson University, USA
(2005- Present)

Richard Cravatts, Ph.D.
Boston University, USA
(2011- Present)

Awi Federgruen, DSc
Columbia University
(2007 – Present)

Joel Fishman, Ph.D.
Jerusalem Institute for Public Affairs, Israel
(2011 – Present)

Rev. India E. Garnett, M.Div
United Church of Christ, PA
(2002- Present)

Peter Haas, Ph.D.
Case Western Reserve University, USA
President
(2003- Present, President of SPME from December 2009 – October 2011))

Richard Landes, Ph.D.
Boston University, USA
(2003- Present)

Kenneth L. Marcus, JD.
Baruch College of the City University of New York
(2009- Present)

David Menashri, Ph.D.
Tel Aviv University, Israel
(2009 to Present)

G.S. Don Morris Ph.D.
Wingate Institute – IL, California Polytechnic Institute-Pomona, USA
(2004- Present)

Donna Robinson Divine, Ph.D.
Smith College, USA
(2005- Present)

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
University of California at Santa Cruz
(2009 – Present)

Barry Rubin, Ph.D.
Interdisciplinary Center and GLORIA Center
(2007- Present)

Philip Carl Salzman, Ph.D.
McGill University, Canada
SPME Conference Coordinator
(2003- Present)

Ralf Schumann, MD.
Charité Berlin, Germany
(2011- Present)

Ernest Sternberg, Ph.D.
University at Buffalo, State University of New York, USA
(2006- Present)

Samuel M. Edelman, Ph.D.
California State University-Chico Emeritus
Executive Director (2009-Present)
(Non-voting, ex-officio board member)

California State University Signatures:

Rob Weisskirch, MSW. Ph.D.
Professor of Human Development
Certified Family Life Educator
Liberal Studies Department
California State University, Monterey Bay

Lawrence Baron, Ph.D.

Professor of History

San Diego State University

Ronald W. Mehler, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

California State University, Northridge

Stephen E. Branz, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, and Professor of Chemistry
San Jose State University

Avi Dechter, Professor

Professor of Systems & Operations Management

California State University, Northridge

Jonathan P. Roth, Ph.D.

Professor

History Department

San Jose State University

Lillian Faderman, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita of English

California State University, Fresno

Benjamin J. Hubbard, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion

California State Univertsity, Fullerton

Adele Eskeles Gottfried, Ph.D.

Director of Research Enhancement, Michael D. Eisner College of Education Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling

California State University, Northridge

Craig Renetzky

Lecturer- Sociology

California State University, Northridge

Allen Gottfried, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

California State University, Fullerton

Ellis Godard, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology

California State University Northridge

Toby Adelman RN, PhD
Associate Professor
Community Health
San Jose State University

Cherryl Smith, PhD

Professor of English

California State University, Sacramento

Abraham B. (Rami) Shani, Ph.D.,

Professor of Management

Orfalea College of Business

Calpoly, San Luis Obispo

Davida Fischman, Ph.D.

Department of Mathematics

California State University, San Bernardino

Marvin M. Megibow, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Psychology

California State University, Chico

Wendy Diamond

Librarian

California State University, Chico

Mark Levine, Ph.D.

Business

California State University, Chico

Joanne Altschuler, PhD, LCSW

Professor & Bachelor Program Director

School of Social Work

California State University, Los Angeles

Robert Cottrell, Ph.D.

History

California State University, Chico

David Halimi

Lecturer

California State University, Chico

Edward Abramson, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychologist (4018)

Professor Emeritus of Psychology

California State University, Chico

Marjorie R. Freedman, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Nutrition, Food Science & Packaging

San Jose State

Jody Myers, Ph.D.

Professor Department of Religious Studies

Coordinator, Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program

California State University, Northridge

Norma Tarrow, Ph.D. (former IP Israel Director)

Professor Emerita, Teacher Education

California State University, Long Beach

Elaine Goodfriend, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor in Religious Studies and Jewish Studies
California State University, Northridge

Amy Hill Shevitz, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor, History and Religious Studies

California State University, Northridge

Carol Edelman, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Sociology

California State University, Chico

Michele Paskow,

Lecturer, Jewish Studies

California State University, Northridge

Gary Epstein, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Mathematics
Cal Poly, SLO

Stephen Pollard, Ph.D.
Professor Department of Economics and Statistics
California State University, Los Angeles

Elaine Leeder, Ph.D.

Dean of the School of Social Sciences

Professor of Sociology

Sonoma State University

Jeffrey Auerbach, Ph.D.

Professor of History

California State University Northridge

Irving Schiffman, Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor of Political Science (Former Israel IP Director)

California State University, Chico

Beth Lasky, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Special Education

California State University, Northridge

Rafi Efrat, Ph.D.

Department of Accounting & Information Systems

California State University, Northridge

Merril Simon, Ph.D.

Department of Educational Psychology & Counseling

California State University, Northridge

Donald H. Bleich, Ph.D.

Professor, Dept. of Finance, Real Estate and Insurance

California State University, Northridge

Nadine S. Koch, Ph.D.

Professor of Political Science

California State University, Los Angeles

Richard Rosenthal
Adjunct Faculty
Dept. of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate

California State University, Sacramento

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Refutation of the Open Letter Opposing the Reopening of the CSU IP in Israel

We members of the Board of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (www.spme.org ) applaud your recent decision to reinstate the CSU International Program in Israel, which had been suspended 9 years ago. An open letter currently circulating for signatures (hereinafter called the opposing letter) presents six arguments for reversal of that decision. Below, we address the flaws in each of those arguments:

1. Security. CSU originally discontinued the Israel study program when the State Department issued a travel warning because Palestinians were attacking Israelis wherever they could be reached–on buses, in pizza parlors or discos, in hotels, and in one university cafeteria. Israel subsequently responded to those attacks with effective measures to defend its population and people spending time within its borders. Today, Israel provides both safety and freedom to an extent unparalleled elsewhere in the Middle East. Yes, some of Israel’s safety measures are inconvenient (just as, for example, airport security in the United States is often inconvenient), but they save lives, including Palestinian lives.

The students whose experiences in Israel the letter cites as evidence of dangerous conditions were not sitting in a university library or classroom but rather participating in public protests and deliberately putting themselves in the line of fire.

In the Palestinian Authority and Gaza, Palestinian-on-Palestinian violence is common; kidnapping is a common occurrence; gays and lesbians are harassed and murdered; religious minorities are persecuted; and political opponents are routinely imprisoned or assassinated. As of November 17, 2011, the U.S. Department of State “urges U.S. citizens… to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip.” And yet, the opposing letter proposes establishment of a study abroad program in those areas (please see item 3 below).

2. Budgetary constraints. CSU has long supported the concept that students who have a true international experience (a year-long experience of living and studying in another country — not merely trudging through with a backpack) will be better prepared than many others to live in and contribute to the global community. Financial difficulties in the state of California are threatening many CSU programs. It may become necessary to cut back on study abroad, but it makes no sense to invoke budgetary constraints solely with reference to the Israel Overseas program. The opposing letter argues that the program should not be reinstated because too few people participate in it. But number of participants is not the only or even the most appropriate criterion for funding. Obviously, a program that has been discontinued for 9 years has no participants, but that is not a reason not to reinstate it.

3. Establishment of programs at Palestinian universities. The open letter supports the recommendation of the Academic Council on International Programs (which it inaccurately calls the Academic and Fiscal Affairs Committee of the CSU Statewide Academic Senate), an unelected advisory body to International Programs, to create a new program at a Palestinian university. We do not wish to discourage the advocates of such an innovation from undertaking the necessary program development work. CSU international study programs must meet certain criteria. For example, they must be based in institutions that are stable enough to assure students that courses billed as running for a full semester will indeed complete the semester. Evidence of such academic stability and conformity to other standards should be presented to the appropriate authorities and committees and given serious consideration. However, starting a program in the Palestinian universities is totally unrelated to reopening a program that has been in existence for decades at Israeli universities.

4. Alleged discriminatory treatment of Arabs or students with “Arabic or Muslim names” by Israeli universities. The allegations of discriminatory treatment require a strong response. CSU strictly prohibits all students who are participating in international programs from engaging in political activity. Thus, none of the CSU IP programs accepts students whose purpose is to promote a political agenda in a foreign country. This policy has been implemented in Israel, through several wars and intifadas, as well as in, for example, Mexico, which also experienced political turmoil in the aftermaths of the assassination of a presidential candidate and the Chiapas Rebellion.

As for Arab students, or students with “Arabic or Muslim names being denied access to Israeli institutions of higher education”, we suggest that the authors of this petition check the student roster at Haifa University. Previous students from the CSU Israel Overseas Program found their program at Haifa University filled with a significant number of Arab students, and students with “Arabic or Muslim names” in their classes, in the student center, in the library, and in activities at free speech areas on the campus. All the major universities and colleges of Israel admit Arab/Muslim students and charge them the same tuition costs as Israeli Jewish students. Students who participated in CSU’s Israel Overseas program in the two years before it was suspended reported that their interactions with Muslim/Arab students were among the most enriching aspects of their experience in Israel.

5. CSU’s commitment to the universal right to education. The opposing letter invokes “Article 50 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which requires the Occupying Power to facilitate the proper functioning of educational institutions in occupied territories.” In spite of what the opposing letter claims, the Palestinian Authority controls education in the West Bank, and Hamas does so in Gaza. Textbooks in both areas are full of genocidal incitement against Israel and Jews. Hamas has stored bombs in and fired them from school and university buildings. It is preposterous to deprive CSU students of opportunities to study in Israel because of educational conditions in the West Bank and Gaza.

6. The apartheid canard. A common and false charge against Israel is that of apartheid. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word that originally denoted the system of racial segregation and curtailment of rights of the non-white population of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. It is difficult to imagine a country more diverse and less segregated than Israel, where 15 religions have official status and where Muslims, Arabs, Christians, and others are represented in all professions, serve in the military and the Knesset (Israeli parliament), and play leading roles in sports and the arts. Like other countries, Israel has its share of ethnically homogeneous neighborhoods, but it may well be less segregated than most other countries in which CSU has programs.

Finally, travel to Israel gives students opportunities to gain mastery of several languages of the Middle East–including Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi–and to acquire knowledge in certain fields of study that is at present unavailable elsewhere. Visiting Israel enables students to see for themselves the absurdity of the charge of apartheid. Moreover, both students and faculty at Israeli universities enjoy academic freedom to an extent not found in universities elsewhere in the Middle East.

The opposing letter is an example of the blatantly discriminatory application of standards to Israel that is not applied to any other country. The letter represents an assault not just on the legitimacy of Israel but also on the academic integrity of your university. We hope that you will join us in rejecting the letter’s demands and that you will enable CSU students to learn about the Middle East firsthand through the CSU International Program in Israel.

Open Letter to Chancellor Charles Reed and the California State University Board of Trustees

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SPME Board of Directors


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