Letter was sent out yesterday, on the firing and rehiring of Kristofer Petersen-Overton. Impressive signatories.
To: Karen L. Gould
President, Brooklyn College
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11210
(718) 951-5000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
February 1, 2011
Dear President Gould:
The Committee for the Open Discussion of Zionism (CODZ) applauds Brooklyn College’s decision to reverse its removal of Kristofer Petersen-Overton from his assignment due to pressure from a single individual, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a former supporter of Meir Kahane’s JDL. We note that unfortunately Hikind is not the first elected official to act to suppress freedom of speech and academic integrity in U.S. colleges on behalf of the State of Israel.
We are a group of lawyers, professors, physicians, writers and others who came together in 2007 to counter our society’s pervasive suppression of criticism of Israel, often in a manner that reminds us of McCarthyism.
It is clear from Petersen-Overton’s syllabus that he had no intention of singling out Israel for attack, while Hikind clearly has an agenda that is driven by Zionist ideology rather than academic integrity.
The Provost’s actions betrayed the standards of free thought and expression upon which a flourishing academy must be grounded. Increasingly, the American people, including a growing number of Jews, are rejecting the injustice of such actions. We are grateful that you have acted in the best interest of academic integrity and against bullying by a fear-minded ideologue by reversing the Provost’s decision and reinstating Petersen-Overton. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Abdeen Jabara
Attorney and Board Member, Center for Constitutional Rights*
Carl Schieren
M.I.A., formerly with the American University in Cairo
Michael Smith, Esq.
Attorney
Mitchel Cohen
Brooklyn Greens / Green Party, and
Chair, WBAI (99.5 FM) Local Station Board*
Len Weinglass
Attorney
Alice Shields
former faculty, New York University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Barbara Harvey
Attorney
Nina Felshin
former faculty and curator, Wesleyan University
Howard Brandstein
Executive Director, Sixth Street Community Center, NYC*
Jonathan House, M.D.
Faculty, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Psychiatry
Former Secretary, American Psychoanalytic Association
Dennis James
Attorney
Barbara Grossman
Attorney
Joel Kovel, MD
Brian Drolet
Director, Deep Dish TV
John Moran
emeritus [retired] Dept. of Philosophy, Manhattan College and
former adjunct at Hunter College
Thomas Hillgardner
Attorney
Bertell Ollman
Prof. of Politics, New York University
Dave Lippman
Musical journalist
Bettina Aptheker
Professor Feminist Studies/Jewish Studies
University of California, Santa Cruz
*Organizations listed for identification purposes only.
