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Others alleged that Yale's decision to close YIISA was political in nature, owing to the Initiative's controversial focus on [[Islam and antisemitism|Muslim antisemitism]]. Abby Wisse Schachter, a commentator at the ''[[New York Post]]'' wrote that Yale "almost certainly" terminated the program because it "refused to ignore the most virulent, genocidal and common form of Jew-hatred today: Muslim anti-Semitism."<ref>{{cite news |title=Yale's latest gift to anti-semitism |author=Abby Wisse Schachter |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/yale_latest_gift_to_anti_semitism_MVRL7G363U30EcMrxe15UM |newspaper=New York Post |date= |accessdate=14 June 2011}}</ref> Ken Marcus, the director of the Initiative to Combat Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism in America’s Educational Systems at the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, said that “YIISA was the most important university-based anti-Semitism research institution in North America. The decision to close it was clearly political, and it smells very bad."<ref>{{cite news |title=Yale Pulls the Plug on Anti-Semitism Institute |author= |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43327927/ns/local_news-hartford_ct/t/yale-pulls-plug-anti-semitism-institute/ |newspaper=MSNBC |date=9 June 2011 |accessdate=13 June 2011}}</ref> [[Deborah Lipstadt]], a leading scholar on the Holocaust, said the decision was "weird" and "strange."<ref name="jta"/>
Others alleged that Yale's decision to close YIISA was political in nature, owing to the Initiative's controversial focus on [[Islam and antisemitism|Muslim antisemitism]]. Abby Wisse Schachter, a commentator at the ''[[New York Post]]'' wrote that Yale "almost certainly" terminated the program because it "refused to ignore the most virulent, genocidal and common form of Jew-hatred today: Muslim anti-Semitism."<ref>{{cite news |title=Yale's latest gift to anti-semitism |author=Abby Wisse Schachter |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/yale_latest_gift_to_anti_semitism_MVRL7G363U30EcMrxe15UM |newspaper=New York Post |date= |accessdate=14 June 2011}}</ref> Ken Marcus, the director of the Initiative to Combat Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism in America’s Educational Systems at the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, said that “YIISA was the most important university-based anti-Semitism research institution in North America. The decision to close it was clearly political, and it smells very bad."<ref>{{cite news |title=Yale Pulls the Plug on Anti-Semitism Institute |author= |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43327927/ns/local_news-hartford_ct/t/yale-pulls-plug-anti-semitism-institute/ |newspaper=MSNBC |date=9 June 2011 |accessdate=13 June 2011}}</ref> [[Deborah Lipstadt]], a leading scholar on the Holocaust, said the decision was "weird" and "strange."<ref name="jta"/>

[[Antony Lerman]], a [[United Kingdom|British]] scholar of antisemitism, has supported Yale's decision to close the YIISA, which he has described as a politicized group that was devoted to the promotion of Israel rather than to serious research on antisemitism.<ref>[http://antonylerman.com/2011/06/10/antisemitism-research-just-improved-yale%E2%80%99s-initiative-for-studying-antisemitism-is-axed/ Antony Lerman, "Antisemitism Research Just Improved: Yale’s ‘Initiative’ for Studying Antisemitism is Axed"], Antony Lerman: Context Is Everything, 10 June 2011, accessed 13 June 2011.</ref>


==External Links==
==External Links==

Revision as of 05:47, 14 June 2011

The Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism, (YIISA) is an academic center at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It was the first university-based center in North America dedicated to the study of antisemitism. Professor Charles A. Small was the director.[1] In early June 2011, Yale announced the closure of the Initiative by the end of July, sparking protest from the organized American Jewish community.

History

Professor Charles Small founded the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy (ISGAP) in 2005 in New Haven, as an independent research organization to study global antisemitism and other forms of racism. In 2006, the center became part of Yale University as the Yale Initiative for Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism (YIISA). It is part of the university's Yale's Institution for Social and Policy Studies. Small explained his motivations to a reporter this way, "The world is changing rapidly and I think Anti-Semitism is changing rapidly... As scholars it is our responsibility and job to begin to analyze and understand these processes."[1]

At the time, it was the fourth university center for antisemitism to be established, following centers at the Technical University of Berlin, and Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University in Israel.[2]

Closure

In early June 2011, Yale University notified YIISA that the center would be closed at the end of July. A Yale spokesman stated that the initiative did not meet "its academic expectations and has been canceled."[3]

Yale's decision sparked widespread criticism from the American Jewish community. David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee, said the Initiative's termination would "create a very regrettable void." National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, stated, "Especially at a time when anti-Semitism continues to be virulent and anti-Israel parties treat any effort to address issues relating to anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism as illegitimate, Yale’s decision is particularly unfortunate and dismaying."[4]

Others alleged that Yale's decision to close YIISA was political in nature, owing to the Initiative's controversial focus on Muslim antisemitism. Abby Wisse Schachter, a commentator at the New York Post wrote that Yale "almost certainly" terminated the program because it "refused to ignore the most virulent, genocidal and common form of Jew-hatred today: Muslim anti-Semitism."[5] Ken Marcus, the director of the Initiative to Combat Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism in America’s Educational Systems at the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, said that “YIISA was the most important university-based anti-Semitism research institution in North America. The decision to close it was clearly political, and it smells very bad."[6] Deborah Lipstadt, a leading scholar on the Holocaust, said the decision was "weird" and "strange."[4]

Antony Lerman, a British scholar of antisemitism, has supported Yale's decision to close the YIISA, which he has described as a politicized group that was devoted to the promotion of Israel rather than to serious research on antisemitism.[7]

External Links

References

  1. ^ a b "Yale University Creates Center to Study Antisemitism". Yale University. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  2. ^ Haviv Rettig Gur (2007 August 8). "Yale expert: Not enough known about anti-Semitism". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 13 June 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Jordana Horn (9 July 2011). "Jews decry Yale closing anti-Semitism study center". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b Ron Kampeas (10 June 2011). "Shuttering of Yale program on anti-Semitism raises hackles". JTA. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  5. ^ Abby Wisse Schachter. "Yale's latest gift to anti-semitism". New York Post. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  6. ^ "Yale Pulls the Plug on Anti-Semitism Institute". MSNBC. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  7. ^ Antony Lerman, "Antisemitism Research Just Improved: Yale’s ‘Initiative’ for Studying Antisemitism is Axed", Antony Lerman: Context Is Everything, 10 June 2011, accessed 13 June 2011.
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