Shut down the universities

Does Im Tirzu have a right to free expression? Or only anti-Israel professors do? Who, precisely, enjoys the rights in Israel?

There are few online Israeli media sites where a person can state they are for a two State solution, support a settlement freeze, and that they voted for Obama without being accused, in vile, poisonous words, of being a self hating Jew, an anti-semite, and an enemy of the State of Israel. There are thousands of monthly posts on these sites denigrating American Jews for supporting Obama and peace with the Palestinians. On some of these sites the late prime minister Rabin was referred to as a traitor for giving land back to Arafat. Jews who work for Obama are slandered in the most vile way as being the enemy. The Knesset discusses loyalty oaths, tries to expel a member who was on the flotilla who did not resort to violence, and the religious try to tell conservative and reform Jews in America they are not Jewish enough. This is not the Israel of Ben Gurion and certainly not the light unto nations Israel once was. It is a nation where unless you march in lockstep with the likud you support Israel's enemies and unless you are orthodox you're not Jewish enough. The light unto nations is rapidly descending into darkness, where might makes right, friends are called enemies, and the swords are banishing the plowshares of peace.

McCarthysm was right... and 40 years AFTER, when archives started to be open, that was confirmed. Jews have a problem with McCarthysm because it was THEY who invented & practiced & imposed & protected COMMUNISM. Do you really think the world will EVER forget ??

had the courage and the insight to shut down McCarthyism. Unfortunately, from here it appears that no one of stature is on the scene in Israel, only a bunch of political operators. This does not look good. The belief that Israel can survive by military domination of its neighbors is delusional. Unfortunately, many Israelis seem to believe it. I hope you can retreat from the brink, but I am not optimistic.

.. and those that donot, will hardly be pressed to oblige Ir Tirtzu agenda.

Thank G-d for Bar-Ilan University, where no professors call for Israel's destruction.

It was about NO EVIDENCE. It was about claims of "secret evidence" of disloyalty that didn't even exist, used to force people from their positions. This is not the situation is Israeli universities (or actually in corrupt sociology departments, mostly) at all, since the evidence of disloyalty and overt hostility to the state ofisrael is overwhelming and freely admitted to by the leftist faculty (actually lecturerers mostly, who are not qualified to conduct the original "research" they claim their fraudulent teachings are based upon). The issue is academic fraud and sedition and an administration (mostly at TAU and B-G Univ.) too timid and inept to deal with it. Im Tirzu is advocating that voluntary donors stop contributions, not the state, by educating the donors about the truth as TAU and BGU. Let the left "counter-educate". What donors do with their own money is not something the Left can control, except in their fantacized socialist workers paradise - which 90% of Israelis reject. That's not "McCarthyism", by any definition.

No war, no violence Everything that does not affect the health of the people living in Israel or Palestine should be withheld.Comparing human incurred slaughter in terms of millions or numbers has no meaning. If a nation holds a people in bondage why are we assisting in this? Israel is unable to stop this madness.

Real socialists and communists and other social engineers always headed to work for the welfare dept. The loyalty oath was a supposed way to weed them out. Others more sinister, like those who wanted to maltreat welfare reciipients, also headed for the welfare dept. The Communist Party actually was the first to defend the Scotsboro boys; then a Jewish lawyer took up the case, later the NAACP, even Einstein wrote an opinion, in a day when blacks had absolutely no rights. Who will speak up for rights in Israel today? It was the USA, which was McCarthyistic from the beginning, that gradually accepted socialistic programs and civili rights. It was the Soviet Union, communistic from the beginning, that became totalitarian. America, democratic, from the beginning, wanted no trouble and revolution; Soviets, wanting socialism, ended up with Lenin's dictatorship in the beginning, with no end.

In Hollywood and in the universities, many Jewish people supported McCarthyism and the black lists. There were others who opposed it in a heroic way, who hired those who were black listed. It was really a dark chapter in america. You had to sign loyalty oaths to work for the govt.. I knew I was a loyal american; why should I sign a loyalty oath. One law professor in Chicago, whose specialty is the first amendment and who was first in his law school at U of Chicago, would not sign the loyalty oath and was not accepted to the Bar and could not practice. He fought his case as a first amendment right. His books are available on amazon, George Anastaplo, for those interested in essays on terrorism and first amendment rights and stories of McCarthyism.

This issue is huge since it touches upon the very essence of the State of Israel. None of those folk attacking the so-called 'extreme leftist professors' on the grounds of indoctrination have the slightest worry about the indoctrination taking place in our schools (and being promoted ever further but Education Minister Sa'ar). For them, it cannot be called indoctrination when the aim is to promote unthinking tribal loyalty and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the sake of maintaining the occupation. Yet, G-D forbid, a few university professors should offer young people in their twenties a different perspective. So, what is it to be? Witch-hunts of all who offer in public an alternative view to the dominant tribal narrative (and we are not, ultimately, talking about university professors alone since the Im Tirtzu crowd and other hyper-nationalists will not stop there). Or are we intent on being a genuinely democratic society in which debate and criticism are embraced? We are headed ever quicker towards a narrow, intolerant, fascistic state in which the values of militarism and tribalism are glorified above all. If, indeed, we are not there already.

The whole story is about Im Tirtzu's response to the radical leftist professors at Gazit's university who are calling for the total suspension of academic freedom for all Israeli universities. It's astounding that Gazit is shocked into action by Im Tirtzu's (wrong, in my opinion) strategy, but is silent about the call by BGU professors for a worldwide boycott of not just BGU, but all Israeli higher education. These same Ben Gurion U professors (Gordon and Berkovitch for example) demand that the world cut all ties with Israeli universities and ban Israeli academics from all academic activity outside Israel. This is not an issue of "mccarthyism" but rather Stalinist academic fascism. Gazit should be embarrassed that his beloved university is now the platform from which academic mccarthyism is being preached.

Show that as the article asserts, McCarthyism is alive and well. The ideological accusations are rabid, and void of evidence beyond the opinions of the attackers. "Any man who has been given the honor of being promoted to general and who says, "I will protect another general who protects Communists," is not fit to wear that uniform, general." - Joe McCarthy, to Gen. Ralph Zwicker, Army-McCarthy hearings, 18 Feb. 1954

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke The Israeli left went into hibernation after Rabin was murdered. It will wake up some day, but only after everything it valued in society has been expunged.

The Communist infiltration of the US may be more serious than many think. It turns out that McCarthy may have been a lot more correct than many would like to give him credit for. Especially the extreme Left who have written many of the history books and intentionally distorted facts to push a socialist agenda. The recent Russian spy scandal should have caused a bigger stir than it did. Obama quickly hushed things over. Interesting that Obama's mother and grandmother were members of the communist party. Obama says in his book that he sought out radical communists. The Left in Israel have hijacked the agenda for too long and their time is up. It's time for the truth to be told and the those terrified of the truth are shouting McCarthyism.

McCarthyism is an action by a GOVERMENT AGENCY. Is Im Tirtzu a goverment organization or institution? If not, Mr. Gazit is not qualified to teach in elementary school, not mentioning a higher education establishment.

All of the anti-"Im Tirzu" comments defend academic freedom as an absolute given. It is high time to accept that, just as freedom of speech is not absolute (shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theatre being the paradigmatic example of a limit), neither is academic freedom. I suggest that a teacher of political science may not pursue his personal political beliefs in the classrom, and neither should academic status be abused in support of those political beliefs outside the academy.

Especially in some dept.'s like Sociology, filled with wacko leftist cranks, pseudo-intellectual traitors, & such hypocrisy about free speech, that's what takes the cake, these people only believe in free speech for themselves. A bunch of parasites living off OUR tax money while preaching the destruction of our state. Time to clean house!

Groups such as Im Tirzu are a terrible threat to the Israeli democracy. They're trying to turn our country into a police state, and to cut us off the USA and Western Europe. This must not be allowed to happen.

Another hysterical internally inconsistent article. As his quoted definition says, Mcarthyism is a "Governement" directed witch hunt, not a legitimate movement by concerned citizens to demand a balanced educational environment in the universities they fund with their tax dollars. A demand to end Stalinist intimidation and a corrupted hiring system is not Mcarthyism. Gazit, like the hysterics who preceded him over the last weeks, ignores the complaints of Im Tirzu and the students who brought them their problems and tries to close down legitimate debate and competing interests by screaming loud and repeatedly "Mcarthyism". It is the standard tactic of the self apointed elites who deny any other citizens rights but their own to freedom of expression and organization and demonstration, and yes the right to influence other private individuals (e.g., donors) to the justice of their positions. Gazit what you ae witnessing is classic democracy in action. A groundswell of disempowered citizens saying we have had enough. We will use the available legal processes to have our voices heard and our influence on results felt. whether you like it or not. You may control the power centers like the press and universities, the justice system and courts may also be in your hands, but so long as it is one man one vote in this country, you cannot control the voice of the public citizenry and you cannot silence the demands for balance and justice in our corrupted institutions. I know it would be easier if the public could be ignored and you elites could just impose your absolute truth on us but what can you do, Thomas Jefferson created the archtype and not Bismark.

Sad to hear once again that freedom of speech is considered so paramount when concerning extreme leftists anti zionistic elements! Why when the right or mainstream Israel wants to confront extreme leftists departments are they censured and no university head complains about this? The denial of the feelings and intellect of the majority of israel is surprising and shows the arrogance of the extreme left and the university leadership!! The claim we are wrong in demanding loyalty from our university personnel as well as from the Israeli Arab sector is a correct one which should not be a taboo but rather be considered a gift to deepen democracy!! Pick this up and bring the discussion about actions against boycot supporters and Israeli Arabs who support Hamas and Hezbollah in to the public domain and accept that we have a point in demanding that freedom comes with responsability!!

One has to ask himself/herself how & why "Im Tirtzu" came into being ?.....For years they see that almost in every walk of life where decision making is paramount,you'll find the Left giving the tone,even as has been shown by Left professors in Israel & abroad that lend their hand to Israel boycotts & in general.seen from the outside, seems that they have joined hands with Israel's enemies to harm the country.

indeed. And speaking about the "publicity hungry officials" -isn't Gazit such a publicity hungry ex-fficial ?

How is the Government going to stop Im Tirzu? - Shut them up? This is a common academic bs, free speech for me and not for thee.

Has nothing to do with right or left.

As long as Yiftachel teaches at Ben Gurion University it cannot be considered to be a bona fide university. Instead it is a treasonous anti-Israel madrassah