National Association of Scholars

Statement On Dismissal of Israeli Scholars

In June 2002, the international academic community was informed that two distinguished Israeli scholars had been summarily dismissed from the editorial boards of two academic journals published in Great Britain, apparently in response to a "boycott of Israel" demanded in April 2002 by a group of European intellectuals and professors. Specifically, Gideon Toury, professor in the School of Cultural Studies at Tel Aviv University, was removed from the international advisory board of the Translation Studies Abstracts, and Miriam Shlesinger, senior lecturer in translation studies at Bar-Ilan University, from the editorial board of The Translator. Neither was accused of misconduct or improprieties of any kind, and their Israeli nationality appears to have been the sole reason for their dismissal.

The National Association of Scholars strongly condemns and deplores this bizarre action, and urges the immediate reinstatement of both academics to their former positions. Certainly it is to be expected, in view of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, that fierce debates and clashes of opinion will resonate for some time to come within the academy, the media, and the public at large. Academic institutions have the duty to provide a forum where sharply divergent views can be expressed within reasonable bounds of civility and tolerance. It is hard to imagine anything less compatible with this ethos than the dismissal of the two Israeli scholars simply on the basis of national origin.

Since its inception, the National Association of Scholars has firmly and consistently opposed the use of ascriptive classifications -- racial, ethnic, religious, etc. -- in academic and public policy, and instead adheres to the belief that individuals should be judged separately, according to their respective merits or failings. That policy is surely vindicated by the outrage in Britain, a sorry but apt illustration of the injustices perpetrated when group affiliation pre-empts the individual. We reaffirm our stance, and join with our various colleagues and organizations in Europe and the United States in censuring this episode. We reiterate, finally, our hope that the publishers of The Translator and Translation Studies Abstracts will reconsider their most unfortunate decision.

National Association of Scholars
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