The American Academy for Jewish Research, the Association For Jewish
Studies, and the National Association Of Professors Of Hebrew have issued
a statement expressing their concern over the restrictions imposed by
numerous American and Canadian universities on undergraduates who wish to
participate in "semester abroad" programs of study in Israel and asking
university administrators to review their policies and remove impediments
to such study.
Please publicize and disseminate this statement widely.
The statement follows:
American Academy for Jewish Research
Association for Jewish Studies
National Association of Professors of Hebrew
Statement on North American Undergraduate Study in Israeli Universities
Over the past three years, the sharp decline in the number of North
American undergraduate students in "study abroad" programs at Israeli
universities has had a severe and deleterious impact on academic Jewish
Studies Programs in the United States and Canada. Students in such
programs have been shown to benefit greatly from the language study and
other subject specialization opportunities that can be found only at
Israeli universities.
As presidents of the three major academic organizations of Jewish Studies
faculty in North America, we wish to express our alarm at the policies of
North American universities that serve to dissuade, discourage, prevent or
even prohibit students who decide to study in Israel from doing so.
We recognize legitimate concerns for safety and the cautionary advice
given by the State Department about travel in Israel. But we believe that,
rather than cancel programs or prohibit study, universities should base
the decision to award university credit for academic work done elsewhere
solely on academic criteria and that no penalty should be imposed on
students who have chosen freely and of their own volition to participate
in such programs.
We call upon the administrations of American universities to review their
policies on study in Israel in order to remove obstacles created by
administrative decisions that are not germane to academic standards, so as
to allow students to pursue their legitimate academic goals.
Shmuel Bolozky
(University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
President
National Association of
Professors of Hebrew
(413) 545-2550
Lawrence H. Schiffman
(New York University)
President
Association for Jewish Studies
(212) 998-8980
David B. Ruderman
(University of Pennsylvania)
President
American Academy for
Jewish Research
(215) 238-1290
The statement may also be viewed on the
AJS Website at
[ http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/Study Abroad statement NAPH-AJS-AAJR.html
]http://www.brandeis.edu/ajs/Study%20Abroad%20statement%20NAPH-AJS-AAJR.html
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