Board of Deputies condemns UCU Boycott
By BOD, 31 May 2007
Source: BOD Press Release
The Board of Deputies condemns the decision from the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) to vote in favour of a boycott of Israeli academics and institutions. Communal efforts to counter the pro-boycott position are spearheaded by the Fair Play Campaign Group (FPCG), established by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.
The FPCG has raised the profile of cooperative projects between Israeli and British academia and supported a delegation of Israeli academics, together with the International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom that traveled to the UK to meet UCU branches, parliamentarians and others. Fair Play Campaign Group also ensured that Jewish, Arab and Druze Israeli students appeared at the Congress to show the positive and inclusive nature of Israeli academia.
Jon Benjamin, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “Now is the time to strengthen the kinds of relationships that will bring all sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict together and, in this country, create a better understanding of the complex issues through that engagement. We call upon the Union’s leadership and all members who are rightly outraged by the decision, to work towards a reversal of this policy.
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