The first academic semester of the Trump Administration has brought momentous changes to American higher education. New Federal regulations regarding DEI and antisemitism, and calls for curriculum reform, have been backed by funding cuts. The higher education industry and its supporters have united in opposition to the demanded changes, setting up confrontations in courts and in public opinion. Equally loud defenses of foreign students targeted for visa revocation on the basis of criminal behavior and support for Hamas are also being heard. Jews on campus and across the US are caught in a crossfire over the future of universities and the question of academia’s role in setting the American agenda. SPME’s Live Briefing Series covers recent BDS developments and gives listeners the opportunity to ask questions to SPME staff.
BDS Monitor Live Speaker: Alex Joffe
Dr. Alex Joffe is editor of SPME’s monthly BDS Monitor. He is an archaeologist and historian specializing in the Middle East and contemporary international affairs. Educated at Cornell University and the University of Arizona, he is also a Shillman-Ingerman fellow of the Middle East Forum. Among other topics he has written extensively on the BDS movement and contemporary antisemitism.
